Star Wars Rebellion in the Rim: Task Force Trident
by therealcruzer
Summary: The rumbles of War have begun to grip the Outer Rim. While the Core regions keep up a facade of Imperial order and stability, the Rebel Alliance begins striking out at key targets within the fringes of the Empire's reach. Tash Walden is set in command of not only his own ship, but his own task force as well. Will he make history for the rebel cause, or become just another martyr?
1. Prologue

Tash rushed along the corridors of the large Mon-Calamari Cruiser with distinct purpose. Even aboard his elder brother's ship, he knew tardiness for a meeting of Rebel Command wouldn't put him in good standing with the other officers. Hell, the very fact that he was on Canth's ship meant being late could get him all the deeper into hot water. Turning a corner, he caught sight of the turbolift down to the Firaxan's bridge, just as it was beginning to close. "Hold the door, please!" he called, adding a bit of extra sprint to his step to try and make it before the car disappeared. Mercifully, the door stood open as the 35-year-old slipped inside. Doubling over, gasping for breath, he gave a wheezy laugh. "Heh, thanks… I was needed at the bridge, and the Fleet Commander would have raked me over the coals if I was late."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure you've avoided that yet, Tash," feeling his blood run cold, the Lt. Commander froze before glancing up to see the salt-pepper bearded visage of the elder Walden, smirking knowingly from his vantage next to the lift controls. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing my young brother rushing down the halls of my ship like an ensign late for drills?"

Swallowing hard, Tash did his best to calm his breathing and straightened up, giving Canth a hasty salute. "I… cut the reminder a little close," he explained, knowing any excuses would just dig the hole deeper. His brother wasn't a slave-driver of a commanding officer, but may the Force help you if you started wasting his time with half-baked nerf dung.  
The elder walden sighed before waving off the salute and hitting the button to take them down to the Firaxan's bridge. "At ease, Tash. Last thing we need right now is you looking even more sweaty when we have this meeting with Command. After all, you're a representative of this Task Force, remember that." The Lieutenant Commander let his hand fall, but still looked at his brother questioningly. Something in the way Canth had said that seemed off. Sure, he commanded a ship within the fleet, but naturally a Fleet Commander was more representative of his forces than a lower officer like himself. If nothing else, Tash expected to just be witness to these new orders; his role being to stand there, affirm or deny if asked something by the other Rebel leaders, and (as Canth so lovingly put it) look presentable so as to paint his brother's forces in a good light.

"So…" Tash finally said as he felt the lift starting to slow. "What is this meeting with high-command all about? I remember hearing that the Empire's been sending more and more patrols to the Outer Rim, but this seems like something pretty urgent."

Leaning on his durasteel cane, Canth gave his younger brother a knowing stare. "Oh trust me, all will become clear in this meeting. Just keep your head up, your eyes peeled, and your ears open Lieutenant Commander." Before Tash could press further, the lift doors opened and Canth strode out onto the bridge of the MC75 Cruiser. All around them, the various officers nearby the communications hub seemed to have vacated their posts; many extra personnel crowding the stations nearer the wide front viewport. Several of Firaxan Group's other Captains were already crowded around the circular holotable, the lights dimming as the Walden Brothers approached. Taking position between the captains of the two other Nebulon B Frigates within the fleet, Tash stood up as straight as he could and watched the table. As Canth took his place on the far side of the table, the comm officer punched in a few buttons and the holotable flickered to life. Immediately the unmistakable visage of a Mon Calamari Admiral filled the screen. The elder Walden saluted immediately, prompting all his captains to do the same. "Admiral Ackbar. It's a pleasure to see you well, sir," Canth said, his voice cordial, but making no real effort to hide the enthusiasm with which he addressed the prominent Rebel leader. It was no surprise to Tash of course, after all it was Ackbar who had supplied Canth the Firaxan after the two brothers had defected. While both of them had escaped ISB's pursuit, both had lost the ships they'd stolen from Kuat in the process; however, Canth had had the sense to back up the databank aboard his own Neb-B and was able to present it to Alliance Command, earning him his rank and command of one of the large Mon Cal cruisers.

"And you, Fleet Commander Walden," the Ackbar's gruff voice chimed back. "I trust your fleet has seen success over these trying couple of months?"

"If only thanks to the efforts of my brave commanders sir. The Empire's increased interest in the Outer Rim hasn't broken our morale yet. We make them pay for every step they try to take."

The admiral's hologram nodded in approval. It was like watching two old war buddies chatting on about prior days of glory, not the insurmountable challenge that the entire Alliance faced every moment that it still fought the Empire. "I'm glad to hear it. But to speak of the matter at hand, we have reason to believe that detachments of other Imperial fleets from the Core are being rerouted to the Outer Rim territories. Much as I hate to say it, our prior attempt to strike at the heart of Imperial power may have caused this sudden increase in ferocity." Canth leaned forward on his cane as several systems came up beside Ackbar's hologram. "In addition to the threats posed by the Seventh Fleet, Fleet 13, and Death Squadron, it seems the Empire has seen fit to send smaller task forces on probing missions of various important Rim worlds, many of them allies to our cause. Our spies have witnessed far fewer instances of probe droids scanning for potential bases and many more incursions of light cruisers and carriers arriving in systems to outright assault sympathetic worlds. Even without the presence of Star Destroyers, people are beginning to lose faith in the Alliance's resolve to protect its allies. This is why high command has decided it best to counter this strategy with one of our own." Immediately, the systems faded away and were soon replaced by images of various Alliance ships: CR90 and Hammerhead corvettes, MC30c and Nebulon B frigates, even a Pelta made its appearance on the table. "We will be sending representatives of our own fleets to sympathetic worlds, small forces that can easily counter these encroaching Imperial raiders and show the galaxy that we will not sit idly by while the Empire attempts to bully its way back into control." With that, Ackbar turned to Canth and lifted a hand. "Fleet Commander, have you chosen the captain you will be sending?"

The Elder Walden once again leaned back and gave a resolute nod. "Indeed," he said, glancing about the other officers. "I've given much thought to which of you would prove the most hindrance to this new threat. For this mission, we need not only cunning and valor, but also the skill to win support for the Alliance's efforts. This is as much a show of how dedicated the Alliance is to the cause of protecting the galaxy from tyranny as it is legitimately defeating the Empire wherever it pokes its ugly head." Even before Canth turned to him, Tash felt his body stiffen. This was much more intense than a mere intelligence briefing. "Lieutenant Commander Walden, can I count on you to take up this mission? When you leave the safety of Firaxan group, you will be largely on your own until the mission is completed. The larger Rebel fleet will be unable to lend you support, but we command will give you access to supply lines as long as you are within range of their bases. Knowing this, can I count on you and the Trident to represent us and the Alliance as a whole to the rest of the Outer Rim?"

This mission was much more harrowing than either of these commanders made it out to be. In addition to being separated from his brother's fleet, there was no guarantee the smaller detachment wouldn't run into a larger Imperial fleet… or even worse, Lord Vader's Death Squadron. If Tash took on this role, he would be relying entirely on what sympathetic worlds could give him as well as any mercenaries or smugglers he could hire; and this also included whatever necessary repairs would have to be made in the event one of these battles were to go particularly badly. All the same, however, he knew that both he and Canth had been through worse odds back in the Core worlds. Stepping forward, Tash nodded. "Myself and my crew would be honored to take on the role. Admiral, the Trident is ready to depart on your direction."

The Mon Cal seemed to smile in appreciation and nodded. "Very good, Lieutenant Commander. You can expect your orders to come within the next couple rotations," turning back to Canth, Ackbar saluted. "Fleet Commander, upon his departure, you can expect new orders from Command as well. The bulk of Firaxan Group will very much be needed in this crucial time."

"And we'll be ready sir," the elder Walden said, returning the salute. "May the Force be with you, Admiral."

"And with you all as well," a few seconds later, the hologram faded and the surrounding lights of the bridge rose in response.

Tash felt his stomach churning as his mind continued to mull over what he'd just signed up for. Yes, he and Canth had handled worse when escaping the core… but that had ended in the loss of both their ships and only a narrow rescue coordinated by Alliance command. "I know that look," the younger Walden was pulled from his thoughts as his brother plodded over to his side. "Trust me, I felt the same way when I resolved to bust you out of the core. Let me buy you a drink, Tash; help you calm those jitters."


	2. Chapter 1: Yavin

Chapter 1: The Assault on Yavin

Standing at the front viewport, Tash stared into the blue tunnel of Hyperspace. He was doing his best to stand up straight, to seem focused and confident, to give off an air that he knew what he was doing. Whether the command crew on the bridge around him saw through his facade or not he thankfully couldn't tell.

They were en-route to the Yavin system, a small foothold in the quadrant to be certain, but Canth had intercepted a transmission just before Task Force Trident had separated from Firaxian Group; an Imperial patrol had made an incursion into the system. The voices on the transmission said something about a clone-wars era space station near the large gas giant, various ordnance and starship components hidden within it, like a treasure trove of war supplies. Being only a jump or two away, Tash agreed with his elder brother that it would be the perfect place for a first strike, and a good way to give his budding new fleet an early edge.

As if on-cue, the Neb B's hyperdrive announced their approach on the system. Tash turned to the comms officer and nodded. "Open the fleet frequency, it'll have to be brief, but I've got a battle-plan," Tash ordered. The officer gave an affirmation and the moment the stars around the ship sprang from white lines back to normal glittering white dots, the network was open. Right before them sat a small field of debris fields and asteroids, and nestled in-between them was a small, abandoned C.I.S. orbital facility. Studying the sensors, he caught sight of the Imperial signals… and had a moment of internal panic. Those weren't Gozanti Cruisers, not Arquitens, not even Gladiator-class Star Destroyers; what he saw on the radar was Victory-class Star Destroyers, two of them. This wasn't some casual exploratory force or a light Imperial raiding party, this was a small war fleet on the other edge of this sector. All the same, he couldn't choke now. People were relying on him… the Alliance was relying on him.

"All ships, form up on my starboard, Ramora take point, Morning Star you have the far flank. We have two marks only a handful of kilometers off my port; VSDs, both of them," he ordered into the open channel. His initial worries might be an overreaction he realized. Victories were strong and intimidating, yes; however, they had their drawbacks as well. If flanked or out-maneuvered they no longer possessed the same level of threat. "Timing will be everything here. Remora, swing just wide of the station and we'll cover your flank; take aim at the starboard VSD. Morning Star, I want you to speed around the debris and come at the same target from their port. Hold your external racks until you have them in range, then focus all fire on them." Affirmative replies answered him and he watched as the other Nebulon took its place just ahead of the Trident and the Hammerhead pushed its way toward the far asteroid fields. "Alright, all squads report in."

"Cobalt Squadron, covering your approach Trident," a female voice sounded off, a group of X-wings flew past the port side viewport, followed directly by a second.

"Cardinal Squadron here, backing up Cobalt," this time a male voice spoke. "Locking s-foils in the attack position."

Finally, a group of Y-wings settled into position just ahead of the Trident, an older sounding male voice reporting. "This is Gold Squadron, all ordnance is loaded and ready for delivery. We'll stick close until the enemy is in-range." Tash felt the corners of his mouth curl into a more solid smile. Gold squadron was outfitted with advanced targeting computers, making their bombing runs all the more effective. They would have to be, since even between the three ships, taking down even a single VSD was a tall order. Fortunately the enemy's squadron complement was lower, but that didn't mean the Wings were in for an easy time. Just a single squadron of TIEs… and an Aggressor-class starfighter? The imps had brought a mercenary with them? Odd…

All the same, Tash shook his head and returned his attention to the main focus. "Alright ladies and gentlemen, let's do this. Godspeed Rebels!" With that, he nodded to the comms officer and the broadcast ceased. He then settled into his command chair and turned to the turbolaser stations. "Gunners, as we approach, keep an eye on the gaps between the pieces of debris," he instructed. "I have a few little tricks I learned on my way out of the core. Let's just see how they react to some good old ambush tactics."

* * *

The Trident came about and settled into place next to the station, the docking clamps engaging. "Sir, we have a successful seal. Looks like the main airlock's maintained integrity over the years," the life-support tech reported. "No guarantees on the rest of the station, of course, but the boarding crews should be fine with rebreathers and thermal-gear at the very least."

Tash breathed a sigh of relief as he stood up from his command chair. "Excellent. Comms send a message to the boarding crews and tell them they have clearance to investigate the station. Make sure they prioritize repair supplies and shield-generator parts. As much as more ordnance might be tempting, our portside shield took more of a beating than expected. I'm certain the Remora could use a refit as well if there's enough left over."

"Yes sir," the comm officer replied before relaying the message. After a moment, she turned back and addressed him again. "Lieutenant Commander, we've reacquired contact with the squadrons. They made a micro-jump out of the combat area and made their way to one of the planet's moons… fourth largest sir. They're down a few pilots, but each leader reports that all survivors are still space-worthy, though 'combat-worthy' will require extensive repairs and rearmament."

"Even more good news," Tash said, his voice growing more hopeful by the minute. The squadrons had done their job well during the battle, but in the end, the coordination between the smaller group of enemy fighters (especially the Aggressor) had caused them all to retreat after taking significant losses. Fortunately, while the enemy's squadrons had focused on the X and Y-wings, all three Rebel ships had traded blows with the VSDs which resulted in minimal damage to their task force and had resulted in one of the Star Destroyers making an emergency jump from the system. Moments later, as the other Neb B and the Hammerhead made their way back around, the remaining VSD retreated as well. They'd done it, and the costs hadn't been crippling. Now, however, it was all a matter of what they'd find in the derelict station whether those losses would be worth the reward. "Contact the Morning Star and send them down with some engineers. After that, send word back to Mon Cala. Perhaps the Admiral can spare a few transports and personnel to get us back to fighting shape."

The officer paused a moment, her hand on her headset as the squadron commanders continued. "Sir… they've found buildings down there. Some kind of ancient stone structures," she reported. "They're requesting permission to investigate." That caused Tash to pause, his own curiosity piqued. After taking a moment to mull it over in his mind, he nodded.

"Tell them they can take a look, but cautiously. And, have the Morning Star dock with the Trident first," he said, turning and heading toward the exit to the bridge. "I think I'll take an away team and have a look for myself."

The sound of calling birds was the first thing that hit Tash as he made his way down the Hammerhead's loading ramp. The corvette had landed only a few meters from the battered squadrons. Several ship's engineers were already making their way over to the wounded fighters to begin repairs. Tash was too busy with the massive pyramid-like structure that stretched before him just beyond the X and Y-wings to notice. Motioning to the two fleet troopers beside him, he stepped forward and made his way toward the base of the temple.

"Lieutenant Commander," a human female pilot saluted him as he drew close, her helmet under her arm adorned with a pair of deep blue crosshairs above black TIE Fighter silhouettes. "Didn't know you'd be making planet-fall sir. Come to see what we've discovered?"

Tash returned the salute and gave Cobalt leader a nod. "What have you all seen of it so far?" he asked, gazing in at the wide open main entrance, an expansive dirt floor dominating as far as the eye could travel in the low light.

"Well the place is multi-story, if you can believe it. We didn't try the stairs yet since we couldn't be sure they were safe, but it looks like there's a number of anti-chambers on the second floor, based on some windows and elevated walkways," she reported, gesturing at a few of the features she named. "No sign of recent use either. Whoever made this place is long gone." Tash stepped his way inside, taking a moment to let his eyes adjust, and confirmed that there was no want for room within. Looking back outside he guessed that the main opening could easily fit two Y-wings floating in on repulsors side-by-side and perhaps even a couple X-wings. Add in those antichambers around the structure and he was already getting ideas on how the place could be used by the Alliance in the future. Sure, right now the system was pretty hot. If the Rebels wanted to keep up their hit and run tactics then there was no question, they had to leave the system alone for a few cycles. However, if the Imperials returned and found the CIS station stripped clean and abandoned, they wouldn't likely leave a sensor trap behind or anything.

"I think this is worth noting to high-command," he finally said, turning back to Cobalt Leader with a smile. "Excellent work on finding this, Commander…"

"Sunrider, sir. Cora Sunrider," she said giving a nod.

"Very good, Commander Sunrider. I'll be sure to credit you, Cardinal Leader and Gold Leader in my report tonight. Force-willing, this would be an excellent future base location, in case we need to relocate or give ourselves a foothold," he said before turning and walking back out. "I've sent for a GR-75 from Mon Cala. With any luck, they should be here within the next cycle; then we can get all of your squadrons repaired and replenished."

"Happy to hear sir," she replied, her smile genuine, if a little bitter-sweet. "We unfortunately lost a number of good pilots in that battle. I'm just happy that their sacrifices helped to further the cause of galaxy-wide liberty."

Tash nodded his understanding. "If you would, please send me their names and I'll ask command to give them a proper memorial." Sunrider said nothing, but her smile became a bit more heartfelt and she saluted him once more. Returning the gesture, he began making his way back toward the Morning Star, just as his comm began to beep. "Walden here."

"Major Praxon reporting for the boarding crew, sir," came the slightly garbled voice of the Mirialan officer. "We've successfully brought the station back online. The long-range comms aren't operational, so we're boosting the signal via the Trident."

"Understood, Major. I read you clearly enough. Once I return to the Morning Star, the signal should strengthen. Any luck with the station itself?"

There was a pause before the Major's voice returned. "Not much in the way of general supplies. The CIS gutted the place of any rations or fuel. However, there is a cache of general ordnance in the sub-level of the station. We also were able to reactivate some maintenance droids. They seemed surprised to see organic beings coming to their 'rescue'. They seem eager to join us if we can make use of their labor."

Tash thought for a moment. The CIS were known for having a diverse fleet at their command. Given the rag-tag nature of the Alliance's fleet makeup, more hands to help the maintenance teams would be excellent. "What types of ships were they stationed on prior? Also, what stations did they assist?"

Another pause followed before the new answer. "Shield maintenance. The droids report they saw service aboard Munificent-class frigates as well as a few who were aboard Recusant-class destroyers. Sir, if I may give my own opinion, these droids may be a good answer to our shield difficulties on the port and starboard sides of our Nebulon-Bs."

Giving the recommendation some thought, Tash nodded as he made his way up the loading ramp back to the Morning Star. "Bring them back to the Trident and test their knowledge. If they can boost those lighter shields, we may have found the answer to our pesky flanking-shields dilema." Following a quick affirmative from the Major, Tash sent word back to the Trident before retiring to the corvette's crew lounge, beginning to draft his report back to Mon Cala and to his elder brother. So far the campaign was running smoothly. Force-willing, their good fortune would continue.


	3. Chapter 2: Felucia

Chapter 2: Supply Raid on Felucia

"Lt. Commander, the Montross cell is in desperate need of supplies," the gruff, grizzled voice of the Mon Calamari Admiral rang through the Trident's long-range comm link. "I know there are many other opportunities you could take, but right now, an assault on Felucia is the best option we have. Otherwise, we'd be taking you too far out of the sector far too soon." Tash couldn't argue with Ackbar's logic. Since the successful Yavin raid, they'd been able to successfully boost the shield power of both Nebulon Bs in the fleet and the squadrons had been successfully repaired and replenished from their run in with that nasty Aggressor starfighter. All things considered, Task Force Trident was looking good. However, he hadn't in the least expected this transmission from Alliance command, much less the accompanying fact that there was yet another fleet striking at the Empire, a few sectors away. While Tash had had other plans for this second strike, he wouldn't deny that an influx of general supplies from a prominent Imperial stockpile had the potential to not just improve his fleet, but the Alliance's war effort as a whole.

"You can count on us, Admiral," he finally replied, giving a salute. "Felucia is just a jump away. We can be there in just a matter of hours."

Returning the salute, Ackbar gave a resolute nod. "Very good, Lt. Commander. I will warn you, however: it is very likely that the warfleet you countered before may have run to that sector for resupply. Given the time that has passed, I'm almost certain they will have replenished their own forces and won't be keen on letting you just take those supplies."

Giving a confident smirk, Tash shook his head. "Our ships performed well against them once, Admiral. Now that we know what we're up against, it's all a matter of just repeating what we did last time."

"Yes, I read your report from the last encounter. While Victory-Class Destroyers have their weaknesses, take heed," Ackbar warned, his disposition becoming more serious. "This captain you faced, Grego Manx, he is an experienced officer, most especially with those ships. Underestimate him at your own peril."

"I… understand, sir. You're right," Tash said, the smirk quickly draining from his face as the sting of the admonishment read loud and clear. "We will leave within the hour."

"May the force be with you, Tash Walden," with that, the Mon-Cal's visage disappeared from sight, leaving Tash alone with his thoughts.

* * *

"Approaching Felucia now sir!" the nav officer reported as the Trident reverted to realspace, the engines' hum dropping back to the low roar of the sublight drives. Stepping closer to the front viewport, Tash noted the fact that indeed, the Victories were waiting for them.

"Bring the engines up to full," he commanded, turning to the helm. "Instruct the Ramora to do the same while the Morning Star hangs back, just behind." This was going to be tricky. Felucia's orbital processing station was situated within a dense debris field. The task-force had entered the system on one side of the field, while the VSDs were waiting on the other. The only hope for a successful supply grab would be to coax the bigger ships away from their defensive posture and then raid the station once they were safely behind the enemy's forward firing arcs. Just as before, the scanning officer detected two squadron complements: one TIE squad, and that same Aggressor. "Tell the U-Wings to hold their position in the docking bays. Let the X-wings know, their mercenary friend is back." Affirmations answered back as Tash settled into his command chair. "Let's get this done then…"

* * *

Commander Cora Sunrider settled into an escort formation next to Trident, the rest of Cobalt Squadron holding position behind her. Her eyes studied the hud in her helmet's visor with grim focus. Just like last time, that Aggressor was but a single red dot on her display, disguised as a singular opponent against the formidable might of her squadron. That was why she wouldn't let this time end like last time. "Cobalt Leader," the voice of the Trident's flight controller rang out over the comm. "Lt. Commander Walden wants you and Cardinal Leader to form a protective screen in front of Gold Squadron, but not to stray any further than a few meters off the Trident's starboard. That way, we'll be able to keep you covered."

"Roger that," she answered, feeling a slight pressure leave her chest. After what happened last time, it was reassuring to see that the leader of the Task Force wanted to proactively ensure the Squadrons' safety this time around. Of course, once the fighting started in earnest, there were no guarantees one way or another. At the very least, having the Trident's point defense guns watching their backs was one less thing to worry about. "Cobalt Squadron, lock your S-Foils in the attack position. Time for some payback!"

* * *

Tash viewed the tactical display carefully. The three Alliance ships had come at the two Victories from their starboard side. In response, both of the mid-sized destroyers had turned hard to keep their imposing front arcs aimed at the Trident and her fleet. "Nearly in range sir. What are your orders?" the gunnery sergeant reported. Just off the bow of the Trident, the enemy fighters had engaged Cobalt and Cardinal Squadrons. As had happened before, the mercenary was already scoring hits on the X-Wings. Cardinal had tried their best to take some early shots against the TIEs, but the Imp fighters' superior maneuverability had provided a more than worrying amount of return fire. Even so, the first VSD loomed ever-closer. If he didn't start firing on it now, there wouldn't be an opportunity to do so later. He then noticed how the TIEs had sped up to remain just ahead of the destroyer, putting them just in striking range of Gold.

"Flight controller," Tash said, the officer turning to face him. "Tell Gold Squadron to aim a volley of ion cannon fire at those remaining TIEs!" With the imperial squadron tied down by Cardinal, they wouldn't be expecting the Y-Wings to take a shot. At least, that was the hope. When the command went out, Tash watched as the bombers angled into a wedge formation, creating a firing line aimed right at the furball. The telltale whoosh of starfighter-borne ion guns rang out as the remaining TIE fighters were caught in the assault. Studying the display, Tash breathed a sigh of relief as the last little red blip fizzled from radar. "Call Cardinal Squadron and tell them to retreat. They've done all they can do for this fight." Moments later, the battered X-Wing squadron jumped out of the system. That left Cobalt, Gold, and the Aggressor fighter. "Gunners, take aim at that mercenary. Let's give Cobalt some relief." Moments later, the scream of turbolaser fire erupted from the starboard guns. While the small fighter had to break off an attack on one of the X-Wings, it managed to circle back around and return to attack position. Fortunately much of the flak had successfully splashed against the smaller ship's shields. It wasn't much, but hopefully it gave Cobalt a chance for counter attack. "Alright helm, let's get around that front arc. Full speed!"

* * *

Cora grunted as the warning sirens blared in her ears. "Another lock, huttspit!" she murmured, yanking the control yoke hard to avoid a wash of laserfire that had almost connected. The Aggressor was on her tail again, and this time it wasn't giving up the chase. "Come on you nasty little mynock," she growled to herself before jinking the X-Wing in the opposite direction to keep them guessing. Flicking on the comms, she spoke with purpose, trying to keep the urgency from her voice. "Cobalt three, can you get a bead on him?" she called out, hoping desperately that her wingman had a shot.

"Trying, Lead," the voice of the young Mon Calamari male replied. "I've almost got him…"

Hearing the lock-warning once more, Cora pulled the ship into a sharp climb and made a judgement call. "Now or never Zan, take the shot!" The quadruple zap of the other X-Wing's linked laser cannons filled the space behind her. She desperately awaited the sound of impact against the enemy fighter… but nothing. Instead she heard a cacophony as the Mon Cal swore.

"How'd he…?! Lead, he just pulled a maneuver I've never seen an organic…" immediately after, the comm went dead.

"Zan…? ZAN!" Cora yelled into her headset, but as she came about, she saw the wreckage of the younger pilot's X-Wing. Just beyond it, the dreaded Aggressor was coming back around, its throttle at full. Gritting her teeth, she angled her nose right at it and pushed her own throttle into the red. The rest of Cobalt squadron was limping toward the debris field, most of them too damaged to back her up. Zan was the only one left. Now it was just her… and whatever monster piloted the Aggressor. Only a few moments before they were in range again. Cora took a breath and focused on her targeting display. She couldn't afford to miss, not now. Just a little further.

"Cobalt Leader," the voice of the Trident's flight controller barked in her ear. "Can you get clear of the Aggressor? We have a shot but we won't risk it until you're out of the way." Cora checked her radar. The Trident was on the other side of the enemy's VSD, they couldn't possibly have a clear shot… could they? There wasn't any time, she had to make another call… another life or death decision. If she didn't take this guy down here and now, he'd be on her moments later.

Closing her eyes for just a moment, she breathed out and punched in the controls to unlock the s-foils. "Punching up to full-throttle, I'll tell you when I'm clear!" she reported, the lock-warning already whining in her ear. Firing a reckless volley from her closed wings, she broke to the side, a blast glancing just above her cockpit's deflectors, the R3 unit behind her screaming in alarm. The Aggressor shot by her just a second later. "Clear! Let him have it!" The sound of distant turbolaser fire reported from her aft. Moments later, she heard the sound of connecting impacts just as the lock warning returned. Instead of more shots coming after her, the lock warning almost immediately cut out and the red blip on her radar shot into the distance before disappearing. She gave a sigh of relief. "He's gone… good shooting, Trident."

"We owed you one," the flight controller responded. "Now, get to the debris field and await pickup, we're almost done h…" Another explosion sang out from behind Cora, causing her to glance back. Turning her craft about, she saw the far VSD's turbolasers finishing a fresh volley… and the starboard hull of the Ramora belching flame.

"Oh no..." she muttered as the ship desperately jumped to hyperspace seconds later.

* * *

"U-Wings have finished loading up, sir. They're on their way back to the docking bay," the flight controller commented. "Cobalt Squadron has also settled into the open docking clamps on the Trident and the Morning Star. Gold Squadron reports a remarkable lack of damage. Still no contact with Cardinal, but we did track their last known trajectory." Tash sighed and slumped back into his command chair. As he looked off in the distance, he could see the twin Victory Star Destroyers making moves to turn back toward the station.

"Comms, inform the Morning Star, we're making the jump to lightspeed. With the Ramora and Crimson in the wind, we can't risk any more damage to either ship," he instructed. A few minutes later, just before the VSDs re-entered range, both ships cleared the debris field and escaped into hyperspace. Rising from his command chair he turned to navigation. "I'll be in my quarters. Let me know when we return to realspace." After hearing affirmations, he made his way to the bridge turbolift and made his way up to the front section of the dorsal structure.

Upon reaching the solitude of his quarters, he settled into his desk and picked up his datapad. This would be a difficult one to tell the Admiral. They'd barely been able to acquire any more than a handful of supplies and he was more than certain that the system would be under much heavier lockdown after this incident. Before he even began to write, the room's comm beeped. Hitting a button on the desk, he cleared his throat. "Walden, go ahead."

"Sir, you've got a transmission coming in from Mon Cala," the comm officer reported.

Tash physically recoiled, the thought of having to face the Admiral this soon after the battle was a bit too much to bear right now. "Please inform the Admiral that I'm busy with search and recovery logistics at the moment and will call him back later."

There was a pause before the comm officer spoke again. "Actually, it's not the Admiral. It's Fleet Commander Walden." That made Tash pause. His brother might be even worse to face right about now… but honestly, the rebuke of family felt like it would sting less than that of a member of Alliance high-command.

Swallowing hard, Tash nodded to himself. "Patch him through, please." A moment or two later, the miniature holo projector near the back of the desk sparked to life. The bald-headed, stubble-beard, cane-holding visage of his elder brother stared back at him, just as imposing at mere centimeters as he was at full height. "Fleet Commander." Tash said, saluting.

Instantly, his brother waved off the salute and shook his head. "Tash, there's a time and a place. That place isn't in private and the time isn't after a hard-fought battle."

"Huh, wouldn't have expected you to know we were out of combat so soon," the younger Walden remarked with a half-hearted chuckle. "Should I be worried about spies on-board?"

"Always," Canth said with a grin. "But I don't bug my own ships. I just caught wind of the Ramora's distress beacon and was on the bridge when the Firaxan's comms established contact with them. Pretty lucky patrol, yeah?"

Tash felt his smile drain from his face. "I… screwed up, bro. The mission was important and I let myself become overconfident since I'd fought these enemy ships before. My judgement was what got the Ramora so badly damaged."

Crossing his arms, the elder Walden at least didn't seem to look any more judgmental than he usually did. "I'll transfer the coordinates that the Ramora sent us over to your nav team," he said, his voice the even, controlled timbre of command. "But Tash, just like you can't let yourself get overconfident after victory, both you and your people can't afford to lose hope after defeat. I'll be honest with you, this war isn't going to end anytime soon. The Empire's going to be a beast of a rancor to wrestle to the ground and it's going to take all of us working together to nail it. Sometimes you're going to be the one yanking it by the tail, others you'll be trying to pin the sharp claws, frag-it, now and again you'll have to be the poor sap trying to hold its mouth closed. If you end up beaten and bruised after it swatted you down, but you're still breathing, then you just gotta bandage yourself up, learn from the pain, and jump right back onto its back. And you particularly have to, because there's other people just as bloodied or even worse who are watching to see if you still have the strength to tackle this beast. If you don't, they likely won't either. You understand, little brother?"

Tash was speechless for a good moment, however he certainly got the meaning. "I do Canth," he said, straightening. "I'll head back to the bridge and spearhead the Remora's recovery myself. Thank you for the guidance."

"Anytime Tash. Trust me, I've been in your shoes plenty of times before. It doesn't get easier, but you'll get tougher. Command doesn't make jedi out of everyone, but it does teach us how to take a hit and keep fighting," Canth replied. "Once your crews are safely back together as a full task force, come back to Mon Cala and we'll sort through what you did manage to pick up. Walden out."

When the hologram cut out, Tash stood and made his way back toward the lift. Just as he got there, however, he found he wasn't the only one on his way there. "Commander Sunrider," he said, his gaze connecting with hers. "On your way to the bridge?"

The squad leader sighed, smiled and gave a nod. "I wanted to thank the bridge crew personally. If it weren't for them and their efforts, I might not be alive right now… perhaps the rest of my entire squadron too."

Tash recalled back to the moment in the heat of battle, when the VSD was interfering with the point-defense targeting systems… when the the other Neb B's captain had made a call that might have cost her her ship. "You should thank the Ramora's crew. They sent us the targeting information and with it we were able to make a turbolaser shot of a lifetime against that Aggressor." Sunrider's eyes widened slightly… but she nodded her understanding. "That's how we win this fight Commander. We're all trying to fight a much bigger foe, and so we need to work together. You keep the fighters off of us, we provide cover for you. It's not simple, and we won't likely come out the other side unscathed, but we keep fighting… because eventually, we'll tire this beast of an imperial war-machine out."

"My… fighter is still in good working order, sir," the squad leader said, her expression hardened to one of duty. "I know Cardinal also had to run mid-battle. I'd like to volunteer myself and any of my squad who's still flightworthy to go find them." Tash remembered hearing her voice on the comm. What she and Cobalt had been through today… it wasn't something anyone could just brush off. All the same, with the Ramora's position already found, that meant the Morning Star would need to rush to the rescue of Cardinal Squadron with Gold Squadron being their only escort.

"I'll inform the maintenance crews to begin refueling your squadron's ships immediately. You have my thanks, Commander," he said, giving a nod and a salute.

Returning the salute, Cobalt leader smiled and shook her head. "Just doing my part, sir. Please pass along my message to the bridge crew." With that, she turned on her heels and made her way back down the long dorsal hallway toward the docking section of the ship. Tash couldn't help but smirk to himself. As usual, his brother's advice hadn't steered him wrong yet.


	4. Chapter 3: Mygeeto

Chapter 3: Smuggling Run on Mygeeto

When the Trident's long-range scanner picked up the incoming Imperial fleet, Tash was just getting finished loading the last canister of tibanna-gas onto the U-Wing. After putting away his comm, he turned to the captain of the scoundrels he'd met with and gave a nod. "That's our cue to head for hyperspace. Sure we can't convince you to help out?"

The smuggler captain chuckled and gave a shake of his head. "Sorry, Lt. Commander, but my boys aren't fans of charity. You want our guns, you gotta pay for 'em," he said before stepping forward again and offering a hand. "However, since the Empire's already on our aft-ends, I'm more than happy to leave you our contact info. The Alliance has proven to be a worthy business partner and who knows? Maybe you all might actually be able to win this crazy war of yours and then we'll be on the New Republic's good side too."

Accepting the handshake, Tash gave a nod. "I'll certainly keep you gents in-mind when we need those guns. Best of luck running the blockade."

"Oh trust us, that kind of thing is our spec-i-al-it-y. But hey, best of luck to you all too," he said before turning and giving a wave, returning to his corellian freighter.

Giving a humorless chuckle and shaking his head, Tash made his way to the U-Wing and settled in behind the pilot. "Punch it, and let the Trident know we're on our way," he said, pulling out his datapad. Thirty big drums of tibanna and each was well-worth the price in credits. Supplies like that could hold up the Alliance's war effort for a nice stretch of time… but first Task Force Trident had to get them past the Imperial fleet. Now was the time to prove the faith that Rebel High-Command had put in them was well-placed.

* * *

**Days Earlier, at Mon Cala…**

Tash stood up straight as he awaited the Alliance Leaders in the big command center aboard the Home One, Admiral Ackbar's Flagship. He wasn't alone, as all of Task Force Trident's Captains and Squadrons Commanders were present as well. Also present were the leaders of Task Force Majestic, the fleet which Tash had heard about who were responsible for the latest unrest in Sector V. Their commander, General Pul-lar was surprisingly jovial in the time before the meeting despite the failure that Task Force Trident had suffered, leaving Majestic in dire-straights after suffering a similar defeat at Dagoba. In fact, the Mon-Cal Officer was nothing short of optimistic about the war effort. It was honestly a major morale boost just talking with him and certainly helped Tash look on the coming meeting as less of a potential tongue-lashing and more of an opportunity to step forward in the campaign once more.

Moments later, Admiral Ackbar, Senator Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and the rest of Command made their way to the center of the room. As the various officers settled around the central display, the Mon-Cal Admiral Stepped forward and the ambient lighting dimmed. "Thank you all for coming," he said, his gruff voice projecting naturally throughout the room with relative ease. "Doubtless it was more than a small burden to meet here, given the ferocity that the Imperial fleet has met us with. This is not something to dread, however; no, the Empire sees us as a credible threat and the more pressure they add, the more people who will join their voices to ours. Of course, with this increase in Imperial ferocity, so too must the tactics we employ adapt." On-cue, the holo display lit up and the whole of the outer rim appeared in the air above it. Highlighted in red were all the systems that made up the sector, including Mon-Cala. "The Imperial Senate, despite the efforts of Senators Mothma and Organa, has sanctioned Sector II as a non-aggression area for this cycle. Doubtless this is due to the efforts of Task Force Trident and Lieutenant Commander Walden who has been putting significant pressure on the local navy garrison." Tash felt a weight on his chest lighten as the Admiral turned and nodded to him, causing a short round of applause to rise from the room. "In order to keep the tentative support we've gained within the sector, we turn our attention to the Sector I instead. Fortunately, with the reports brought to us from General Pul-lar of Task Force Majestic, we've learned that there are indeed many worthwhile systems that could be used for furthering our cause. During their retreat from Sector V, the captains of some of their support squadrons reached out to contacts and found some worthwhile groups who may bastion our cause."

The holo display then zoomed in and focused on a barren planet, the system's name appearing below it. "First, we have Mandalore. There are various factions on the planet which most-certainly are no friends to the Empire. With their rich history of warfare, having allies among their clans will be a fantastic asset. As such, Task Force Majestic will go and meet with Mandalorian leadership above the planet and prove to them that the Alliance is the faction to back in this fight." Next, the display panned quickly to the side, coming to rest on a crystalline planet with frozen oceans. "Then, we have a smuggling group who has agreed to supply us with an influx of tibanna-gas. They will be meeting with Task Force Trident on Mygeeto and, while the captain denies it, I expect that the Empire is watching these smugglers. Thus, the ships of Task Force Trident will be fitted with some reactive shield-generators from our cruisers here in drydock to ensure that no harm comes to the tibanna. Even the slightest unaccounted for heat could potentially set the entire shipment ablaze with explosive fury so it is imperative that none of the ships takes on too much damage." That certainly made Tash swallow hard, but after the prior failure to acquire supplies from Felucia, he wasn't about to object to such a mission. Besides, between their shield tech droids from the Yavin facility and those powerful Moncalamari shields, there was thankfully plenty of buffer-zone between the gas and any incoming turbolaser fire. "Each of these operations will be carried out within the next cycle, so both Task Forces are dismissed to ready their ships. The rest of the Alliance fleet will bolster the worlds in Sector II who have already given their support, just in case the Empire attempts anything while they are away." Giving a salute to Tash and Pul-lar, Ackbar nodded to them. "Good luck, and may the Force be with you all." Returning the salute, Tash and the rest of his officers headed out.

As they reached the main hangar bay, and Tash was about to board his U-Wing, he heard a familiar voice call out to him. "Lt. Commander, just a moment please," it was General Pul-lar, making his way over quickly from his own landing craft.

"Sure General. What's up?" Tash asked, turning to face the Mon-cal as the pilot cycled the engines through the pre-flight checks.

"I was thinking, we could likely stand to learn from each other's battles," he said gesturing with one of his scaly hands. "I read the reports on your last two combat encounters and I'd rather have the knowledge of how to face twin Victory Star Destroyers from your account than go into battle against them blindly. I'd be more than willing to share my own experience as well!"

The other commander's natural enthusiasm was infectious and Tash couldn't help but smile as he agreed, inviting Pul-lar aboard his U-Wing.

* * *

**Present day, above Mygeeto…**

The turbolift opened to the bridge just as the enemy fleet entered visual range. "Sir, we have two Gladiator-class Star Destroyers approaching from our fore," the sensor officer reported. "They've launched fighters… sensors showing one squadron of unusual TIEs - Defenders I believe, based on the tri wing design - one Lamda-class shuttle, a Decimator-class Gunship, and what looks like another mercenary ship, Firespray-class." Tash studied the tactical display, confirming the officer's report. It was just as Pul-lar had said, the Fast Carrier Task Force headed by Commander Golrin Korr utilized a small amount of unusual fighter craft, boasting quality over quantity.

"Engineering, make sure our flanking shields are boosted," he ordered, the engineering captain replying with an affirmative. "flight controller, transmit the rally coordinates to Cardinal, Cobalt, and Gold squadrons. I want to hope that they'll be fine… but those kinds of enemy squadrons aren't known for pulling their punches." After the talk with the other task force's general, and given how often the Trident's squads ended up making emergency jumps during these skirmishes, Tash and the nav officer had set rendezvous coordinates for anyone with in Trident Group to escape to where the other ships could easily follow after the battle and provide quicker support and damage relief.

The comms officer turned and addressed Tash. "You have the floor, Lieutenant Commander. The fleet's listening, sir."

Clearing his throat, Tash stood. "Alright people, it's time to see exactly how strong these reactive shields the Admiral supplied us are. We're facing Gladiator Star Destroyers, two of them, as well as some fast-attack fighters. Unlike the VSDs we have been facing, these ships are most effective at close range and their aft-arc is the only lightly armed section. As such, the plan is to use our superior range against them, to wait for them to get close, and then to rush past and make a break for the escape vector. This isn't seek and destroy, we're here to run a blockade. Take targets of opportunity, but above all keep your ships alive. May the Force be with us all!"

As the comms switched off, Tash eyed the approaching Imperial warships before turning and giving a nod to the flight controller. "Same as always, tell the Squads to stick close. We'll cover them."

* * *

Cora Sunrider held Cobalt Squadron in a defensive formation right along the Trident's starboard-side. _TIE defenders, of course,_ she thought to herself with no lack of annoyance. Between the Aggressor that flew with the Victories and the pair of downright murderous squadrons that made up this opposing fleet, she was beginning to think the universe had something against her and Cardinal Leader. All the same, she knew that Lt. Commander Walden was committed to protecting the squadrons, so with any luck even those heavy-duty squadron hunters would find less purchase against them, especially since the fleet was presently hunkered behind a natural barrier of asteroids and debris.

"Cobalt two here," a feminine voice came over the comm, prompting Cora out of her thoughts. "Lead, the Lambda and the Defenders seem to be spearheading the assault. What are your orders?" Taking a quick look at the hud, she grimaced as the heavy interceptors approached at their breakneck pace. Tipping the yaw controls gently, she maneuvered her X-wing closer to the Trident.

"Stay on my aft, we're sticking with the Tri right up until engagement. Let them come to us and let her linked turbolasers have a good shot at them," Obediently, Cobalt squad fell in step behind her. Glancing closer at tactical, she noted that Cardinal wasn't changing course. "Cardinal Lead, this is Cobalt Lead, you're exposed. Maneuver a bit closer to the Trident before those TIEs get on top of you."

The comm crackled a bit before Cardinal Leader's voice rang through. "Negative, Cobalt. The Morning Star needs escort. If we get too far from them, those defenders will pick them for target. Besides, with our fighters still damaged, we can't afford to show them our flank. We'll be the first defense. Our astromechs have the rally point coordinates set, you just make sure to keep the Trident safe. Don't worry about us." Cora was about to protest, but before she had the chance the defenders were on Cardinal and the red-nosed fighters had broken formation to commit to the dogfight. Cursing under her breath, she briefly thought to lead Cobalt into the fray to support, but before she had the chance, the comm crackled once again.

"Cobalt Leader, this is the Trident," the flight controller's voice resonated through her helmet's headpiece "Form your squad up and get moving toward the Ramora. Gold needs support and without you, they won't stand a chance." She prepared to ask about Cardinal, but before she could, the loud reports of simultaneous turbolaser fire shrieked from above. As she traced their trajectory, she was treated to the sight of a couple defenders spiraling out of control from the impact. "Don't worry about Cardinal, we have those defenders well within range."

Turning her attention back to the task at hand Cora nodded to herself. "Copy, Trident. Moving to back up Gold," she said before banking the snubfighter to swoop under the Neb's dorsal structure and toward the Remora and her escort. Instantly, the HUD updated with new targeting info, showing the two other attack craft. "Cobalt team, set your sights on that Firespray-class. Between the two, she's going to have the most damage potential against our ships." A chorus of affirmations answered, the other fighters settling into a wedge-formation behind her. Just before they entered firing range, however, space around her seemed to take in a suddenly silent breath; even the roar of the X-wing's engines went briefly silent… before a massive sonic-boom split through space. "Evasive action!" she yelled, only just getting off a pair of shots before jinking to the side as the wave of sonic energy barely swiped behind her craft. As she circled back around, she noted with relief that all of cobalt's fighters were fine and the wave had been out of range of the Ramora and Gold. _So that was for us, huh?_ She thought to herself. _Clever little trick._ Unfortunately, the hutt-slug had used the opportunity to slip past; however, that's exactly when she saw the Firespray shudder under a volley of ion-cannon fire. "Good shots, Gold Leader," Cora praised, smiling to herself.

"Not like we're dead weight, Cobalt," the elder commander tossed back with a chuckle. "This guy would have to pull some pretty fancy flying to slip past both of us."

"Attention squadrons," a different male voice rang out from the comms next. "This is the Ramora's gunnery officer. Break off from the Firespray and focus on the Decimator." Knowing what that meant, Cora swung her X-wing back around, bringing her trajectory in line with Gold's. Seconds later, a hail of turbolaser fire rained forth from the Ramora. After that, there was one less red-blip on the scans.

* * *

"Hold, hold… fire at will!" As the fore turbolasers let loose their latest volley, Tash held his breath. At the last moment, however, the bolts went largely wide; only a handful of them glancing against the small destroyer. "Hutt-spit… helm, all auxiliary power to engines!" That shot marked the Trident's last real chance to attack the encroaching vessels with her main guns. With the gladiator's pronged bow only just pointing wide of the long-hulled vessel, Tash knew they were dead in the destroyer's powerful side arc. Add in the fact that the other gladiator was angling in from the Trident's starboard as well, the luxury of lining up another shot simply didn't exist. Now was the time to run, and run fast! Glancing at the scanning map, Tash was relieved to see both the Morning Star and the Ramora had slipped through, both at either gladiator's aft and pushing for the edge of the system. Now all that was left was the flag herself, but the trap was certainly well-constructed. In order to avoid ramming the tougher imperial vessel and the other Nebulon-B, Tash saw only one usable route… and it wasn't reassuring.

The enemy flagship had smartly nestled itself into the space between two groups of asteroids, turning the Trident's covered firing position into a claustrophobic kill-box. There was a small section of daylight on the other side, but Tash wasn't certain whether or not they could make it with this one burst of speed. Even as the gladiator angled to intercept, the Lieutenant Commander steeled himself before turning back to the helm. "Aim for the space just beyond the enemy flagship, rotate her 45 degrees, punch it!" The view from the bridge couldn't have been more nail-biting; Tash could even swear that he saw the opposing bridge crew ducking for cover as the single-bladed pickaxe shaped fuselage swung just wide of the GSD's command tower. Seconds later, Tash yelped as he both heard and felt the sensation of the ship hitting something. "Report!"

"Impact on the starboard dorsal fin," the engineering captain called back, the damage coming up quickly on the main display.

"Did we hit the gladiator?" Tash felt his heart sink. Two ships ramming each other at speed was often how a slender vessel like the Trident lost an engine block or other vital systems. Adding that to now being in the more hardy GSD's port-side missile strike-zone and they might have had it.

"Negative, sir! We glanced an asteroid, but we're free of the enemy's main killbox. Only their flag has the range to fire on us…" Tash felt his body loosen in relief and he made to slump back down into his captain's chair when the claxons shrieked anew.

"Sir, we have enemy fighters making an attack run," the sensor officer reported. "It's the defenders!"

"Transfer the auxiliary power from the engines to the starboard shields!" Tash called out, watching as a group of angry blips closed in on them fast. "Brace, brace hard!" A moment later, the ship shook from the impact and the defenders flew past, their engines screaming back at the bridge crew. As the tension from the attack faded and the various stations recovered from their daze, Tash too allowed himself a moment's breath. "What's the damage?"

"... no damage sir," the engineering officer reported, the twi'lek male's face looking just as relieved as he sounded. "The reactive shields did their job. We're holding a 50%." This time, Tash did crumple into his command chair, not caring if a third siren went off or not.

"Put us in formation with the Ramora, let's get out of here," he breathed.

"Sir. We have a problem," the flight controller reported, her face shooting him a worried look. "The defenders aren't stopping… they're on an intercept course with Cobalt and Gold."

* * *

Cora felt her muscles tense anew as she listened to the voice of the Trident's flight commander. "I repeat, calculate for rendezvous immediately. Run!" Sure enough, a still healthy number of enemy fighters was making record time on their approach to the X and Y-wing squadrons. After the two squads had finished off the decimator along with assistance from the Ramora, Cora had thought their part in the battle was largely over. But apparently the imperials were in a petty enough mood to sic the defender squad on them for one last bitter strike.

"Gold-squad, you all head for the Ramorma. Once you're in their range, you should be safe," she ordered, spinning her X-wing to face the incoming tri-winged terrors. "Cobalt will hold them off."

"Commander Sunrider, we can't leave you like that," the other squad lead protested. "Cardinal already barely escaped to hyperspace when they fought those things. We'll back you up!"

"With all due respect, Captain Vaunder," she said, her voice calm and determined. "We don't want your help… not when the rest of the fleet's still here. You have to cover them as they leave the combat space."

There came a stifled curse over the other end of the comms before Gold leader spoke once more. "Copy that, Cobalt leader. We'll come find you afterward. You have my oath: we won't leave you hanging in the wind." Cora smiled bitterly to herself before switching the frequency back to Cobalt team; hopefully there would be enough left of them to find afterwards.

"This is it everyone. You know your jobs, we gotta keep them busy while the rest of the fleet slips away. Pick your targets, but don't let yourself get pulled into a dogfight. The second you see an opening, jump to hyperspace," even as she said the words she felt them run dry and ashen on her tongue. "We don't need to win this fight… just last for a couple minutes."

* * *

Tash felt his hands still shaking against the chair's arm-rests as the comm officer answered the long-range hail. "The Morning Star is checking in sir," the human woman turned, giving him a reassuring smile. "They've found Cardinal and Cobalt sir. Right where they were supposed to be. Sounds like the casualties were minimal this time, even if most of the X-wings suffered pretty heavy damage. Between the corvette and Gold Squadron, there won't be any issues getting them all home in one trip."

Immediately, what felt like 500 kilos of weight unlifted themselves from his chest and he could breathe again. The Neb-Bs had gone on ahead after the Morning Star and Gold both volunteered to stay behind and recover the lost squadrons. With the distinct value of the tibanna-gas, they knew they couldn't risk sending the larger ships for fear that the Gladiators would attempt to follow and restart the skirmish all over, the rebels starting in considerably worse shape. "Fantastic news," he said, his voice only barely growing loud enough to be heard over the hum of the hyperdrive. "Each and every one of them deserves a medal for their valor in that fight." He turned and started making his way toward the turbolift. "I'll be writing my report in my quarters. If anything comes up, do keep me posted."

"Sir, I have another incoming transmission, it's Mon Cala,"

Tash froze, but breathed out and turned himself back around. "Go ahead and patch them through," he said, putting on his best un-frazzled face.

A couple seconds and the unmistakable visage of Admiral Ackbar appeared on the main display. "Lieutenant Commander Walden," he said, his voice as gruff and commanding as ever. "How fares your mission?"

Giving a tired smile, Tash brought a hand up into a respectful salute. "Fifteen large drums of tibanna-gas picked up from the smugglers," he reported. "All present, accounted for, and on their way back to Mon Cala as we speak… though the Morning Star will arrive slightly later than the rest. I'm proud to announce that we escaped with minimal casualties."

The Mon-cal returned the salute and his face acquired a pleased grin. "Exceptional news, Lt. Commander! We've just received word from Task Force Majestic as well that their mission was also a success. One that was hard-won, but successful nonetheless. You all have done the cause a fantastic service this day and I couldn't be prouder of what you've accomplished…" Slowly, however, the Admiral's visage soured and he seemed to deflate into what could only be melancholy. "I can only hope those victories will grant us enough resources to weather the coming storm."

Tash's own mood began to falter as he stared back at Ackbar's holographic image. "Sir? What do you mean? What happened?"

It too the Mon-Cal a moment, but as he once more composed himself into resolute stoicism, Tash could already feel the incoming weight of what the man had to say. "The Empire has declared all-out war on us. A transmission went across the holonet just an hour after your battles were complete. We're unsure where they plan to strike, but the Grand Moff himself gave the battle cry." A moment later, the Admiral's image disappeared and was replaced by the comparatively gaunt and severe features of Grand Moff Tarkin who's voice filled the bridge with palpable verbal fire.

"The time has come to make an example of the dissidents who have been spreading anarchy and dissent among the outer rim. Your Empire will no longer tolerate these attacks from outlaws and terrorist. All those who would give aid to such criminals are beyond even our great Emperor's forgiveness and compassion; soon, all states harboring members of this 'Rebel Alliance' will feel what it means to draw his ire. As of now, I am organizing the forces of both Senior Captain Grego Manx and Commander Golrin Korr into one fleet to finally bring order back to this lawless sector of space. Let the coming fire and fury be an example to all of what happens to those who threaten the peace and civility of the Galactic Empire!"

Seconds later, Ackbar returned and Tash felt speechless. "We have no indications yet on where they will strike and with both of your fleets in such a state, we don't have a moment to lose. You all are need back on Mon Cala as soon as possible!"

Tash wanted to take a moment, to process all that he'd just heard; however, clearly there wouldn't be many moments to rest from here on. If big-names like Tarkin were now directly pulling the strings, it meant their little campaign had struck a nerve all the way toward the top of this great beast they were fighting. Forget pulling the rancor by the tail, if that transmission were to be believed, the Alliance had just jammed a vibroknife in its eye and it was going full-on berzerk. Taking in a deep breath, Tash Walden straightened once more and gave a resolute nod. "We'll be home soon admiral. You have my word, before the cycle is over, I'll have my fleet ready to ship out wherever we're needed!" He only hoped that reality would allow him to back up such an oath.


	5. Chapter 4: Sullist

Chapter 4: The Battle of Sullist

The call had come in easily three hours before the wake-up call. All the same, Tash's eyes shot open and in a matter of minutes he was dressed and out the door. When he reached the bridge, the comms officer had already brought up the Admiral's holo image, prompting Tash immediately to a salute. "What's our destination, sir?" he said, eyes momentarily shifting to the main viewport and the Home One in orbit beyond.

"Sullist," Ackbar said, giving a nod and waving off the salute. "Only fitting that the Empire strike yet again where Rollo Sparkz' own light was snuffed out about a month ago."

_Their way of saying "We silenced your voices once. Time to reinforce the lesson," _Tash thought grimly. "Do we have a strategy, Admiral?" Giving the helm a nod, he bent his legs lightly as the Trident changed course, aiming its bow for the edge of Mon Cala's gravity well.

Ackbar lifted a hand and his holo shrank, the Sullist system appearing beside him and dominating the display. "There is an outpost station just within the system limits. It is lightly armed and situated between the planet and the hyperlane," the admiral explained. "We've already sent word to General Pul-lar, he is en-route now and we should be a step ahead of the combined imperial fleet."

"Happy to hear it," Tash said just as the helm gave him the all-clear for hyperspace. Returning the gesture, the front viewport became a wash of white lines and then bright-blue void. The holo-transmission fizzled a moment before re-solidifying.

"It is highly recommended that the both of you set up a defensive line behind the station to give you cover against the incoming destroyers," Ackbar continued. "We've also received word from the smuggler who you met on Mygeeto. He and his crews have been paid and will meet you at the station as well." Tash held back an eyeroll. Classic outer rim mercenaries, the moment the credits flowed, they'd be loyal enough. All the same, the captain himself had a measure of professionalism about him and he also had no love for the Empire, so that added an extra level of reassurance.

"Roger that Admiral, my crews and I will be ready upon arrival. We won't let Sullist fall."

The admiral's image once again took up the majority of the holotable, allowing Tash to see the confident smile on his face. "I believe you, Lieutenant Commander. May the force be with you and your crews." With a nod, the Mon-cal faded from the display and the transmission ended.

Tash turned to the comms technician. "Call up the main docking bay. I'd like to speak with Cardinal and Cobalt Squads; I have some unusual orders for them."

Cora Sunrider watched with bated breath as the universe outside of her X-wing's viewport remained nothing but the blue tunnel of hyperspace. Cobalt and Cardinal squadrons now had their orders and, to say the least, they were a little nerve-wracking going into a fight like this. It would be the clashing rage of two separate fleets and, while she knew to trust Tash's orders, working with this other general was at-best a wild card for her and her pilots. All the same, in the heat of battle they'd be relying on whatever ships could grant them support, General Pul-lar's "Pegasus" included. Still deep in thought, she almost jumped when the X-wing's link to the Trident's hyperdrive announced the reversion to realspace. All around her white lines dropped back to stars and the expanse of space was soon filled with the nearby planet of Sullist. Opening the comms, she cycled on the fighter's engines and unlinked her life support from the Nebulon-B. One more button press and the fighter unlatched from the docking tube along the ship's dorsal structure. "Cobalt squadron, form up behind me. The Lieutenant Commander's given us order to backup the Pegasus and her squads," turning the snubfighter toward the distant outpost, Cora could just make out the shape of two cylindar-cockpitted ships in the distance: a CR90 "Blockade Runner" corvette and a Pelta-Class command ship. Her R3 unit beeped and whistled as a few friendly blips appeared on her radar between herself and the station. Her helmet's hud IDed them as other X-wings, their formation that of a loose patrol. "This is Commander Sunrider of Cobalt squadron, we're joined by Cardinal and Gold squadrons. We're all wondering where the party's happening."

One of the X-wings banked a bit closer, giving Cora a good look at the inky-black fuselage. "This is Major Weaver of Blackbird squadron," another feminine voice replied. "Just form up behind us and we'll lead you to the staging ground. Thanks for bringing the Neb-Bs, by the way; we can definitely use the extra long-range firepower. The hammerhead too." Giving a good-natured scoff, the leader of Cobalt squadron slipped in behind the other X-wings as they circled back toward the already in-place fleet. As they drew closer, Cora noted just how many X-wings were with Task Force Majestic, no doubt normally making their home aboard the pelta and its shockingly large ventral hanger-bay. Those weren't the only ships present though, as there was also a VCX-100, a HWK-290 and several Lancer-class pursuit craft (no doubt recruited from Mandalore just a cycle ago).

Finally, just leaving the station were three freighters: two YT-2400s and a YT-1300. The three drew close and then shifted trajectory to run alongside Cobalt squadron, matching speed. "This is Captain Stagg of the Golden Hound, my boys and I are at Lt. Commander Walden's service… so long as the Alliance's credit is good. Nice to see you again Commander Sunrider."

"Always nice to know where you're heart's at, captain," Cora tossed back, rolling her eyes as she did her best not to add the last word with a mocking tone. "So long as you're not leaving us to the wolves this time, I'm happy to have you."

"Please, commander," even through the comms, she could practically see the smuggler's smarmy smirk. "I'm a professional. You paid, I'll deliver. What kind of reputation would I have otherwise?"

_A far more honorable one, probably, _Cora thought, but didn't say it aloud. "Just make sure that you keep those imperial mercenaries off of us and your reputation will be fine." After hearing a semi-joking "yes ma'am", she closed out the comms and settled into position, watching as the two Nebulon-Bs turned and moved in opposite directions, aiming to circle either side of the station. The Morning Star followed the Ramora this time, the Trident moving over to settle into position just starboard of Task Force Majestic. The formation essentially put Task Force Trident in position to cover the flanks while Majestic ran up the center. Hopefully whatever way the Empire entered into the system, this would result in them being caught in a pincer maneuver between the two Nebs. The two fleets would still be facing down twin VSDs and GSDs, but even then the Rebels outnumbered the Imps 5 to 4. The icing on the cake was the split was even more intense squadron-wise, if Cora had read the briefings correctly. Just six enemy fighters; that had to give them some kind of edge in this coming fight. At least… that was the hope.

Tash eyed the starmap carefully. He and Pul-lar had gone over this strategy a few times now. They'd left almost nothing exposed and the two Neb-Bs would be able to start firing the moment the VSDs entered their killbox… but that didn't stop him from wondering what he could have possibly missed. Maybe he'd set the frigate too far to the side or maybe the other two ships weren't in a good position. By the time the warning signal from the starmap announced the imperial fleet's arrival, he was already almost sweating through his uniform.

"Two VSDs and two GSDs entering the system now sir," the radar tech announced. The agonising calm was finally over; here came the storm. The imps had arrived in a shockingly similar formation to their own: the two Victories making up the center of the spear-tip while the Gladiators stood at either side to flank.

Stepping up to the front viewport, Tash breathed out and nodded to helm. "Bring the engines online, ahead slow. Gunnery, stand at the ready and keep the main turbolasers aimed at the nearest Destroyer. If the GSD gets past us, start plugging away at the Vic," both stations answered the affirmative before he turned to the comms station. "Send the same message to the Ramora. She's going to be something of a secret weapon for us." He said, allowing himself just a small smirk. The Lieutenant commander couldn't quite put it into actual words, but something about giving the opening orders had banished his jitters. Strategy was full of what-ifs, maybes, and worst-case scenarios. Now that the enemy was laid out plainly for both himself and Pul-lar to see, he could react to what they were giving him. There was almost a crazy reassurance, even being overall outgunned if not outnumbered. Whatever came of this fight, the planning was done. Now, it was all in the gunners' and the pilots' skill… and the role of command was to make sure not to make any errors that would bring them all to ruin.

"Ramora copies sir," the comms officer reported. "They say 'we're looking forward to seeing what these upgraded guns can do'." Tash had to agree himself. After the successful blockade run at Mygeeto, the weapons engineers back at Mon Cala had set aside a chunk of the tibanna gas for some special upgrade to the Ramora's fore turbolaser cannons. They'd originally offered to give it to the Trident, but when Tash saw the kind of energy draw it would require, he declined. His ship was already diverting power from the maneuvering thrusters to accommodate its Mon-calamari approved shield array. Besides, the other Neb-B deserved to have something unusual about it. After all, the Imperial Navy had never thought much of the Nebulons within their ranks; and an unsuspecting target was always an easy one. Even so, the clincher would be the squadrons and exactly how much damage they could do to the big ships before getting locked into a furball.

_It's all on you Cardinal, Gold, and definitely Cobalt._

"Lock S-Foils in the attack position, lock and load ordnance, and follow my lead," Cora called out over the comms as the first VSD began to brave the asteroid fields around the station. Her astromech beeped a warning, the text on the display reminding her of those Imperial fighters, but they weren't her concern right now. General Pul-lar had ordered all fighters to begin their first bombing run, and with all of them hidden within the space-borne debris, the risk of flak damage was slim to nil. The time to strike was now. "Target acquired… Cobalt squad, fire when ready!" Like a swarm of Kashyyyk fire-wasps exploding from a nest, the X-wings unleashed hellfire on the bow of the Victory-class Star Destroyer. A couple of the torpedoes went wide, the squadrons keeping up speed to avoid the panicked shots of the medium-sized warship, but just as Cora was pulling back toward the asteroids, she saw a shock of blue light lancing across those from shields. "Can't resist a chance to show off, can you Gold Leader?"

A chuckle came over the other end as the Y-wings lazily swooped past the command bridge and into the destroyer's blind-spot. "What can we say, Cobalt lead? It had our name on it in big, golden letters." Cora was about to toss back a reply when there was a sudden alert over the radar. A squadron of TIEs was approaching… it was the Defenders.

Adjusting her X-wing's yaw, she turned to face the approaching interceptors. "Blackbird, we've got bogies, coming in on your 10!"

"Roger Cobalt," came Blackbird leader's reply. "We'll keep them b-" In a moment that seemed all too unreal, Cora watched as several glints jumped over the far asteroids and several green laserblasts filled space.

"Blackbird? BLACKBIRD REPORT!" Only static came back. Cora could see a couple of Blackbird's energy signatures still glowing faintly on the radar. The defenders had scored direct hits, but thankfully it seemed their aim was more to disable their targets and prevent further assaults on the VSDs rather than outright annihilate the rebel fighters. Small blessing though, as Blackbird was only the outer edge of the squadrons' perimeter. Cobalt had only received the warning because, yet again, the Ramora was on the far edge and still feeding them tactical data. "Pegasus, this is Cobalt Leader, I have eyes on some enemy squads. Permission to engage?"

"Negative Cobalt, we need you to keep up the attack on that VSD. We are already sending other squadrons to intercept," despite her desire to protest, Cora knew better than to disobey direct orders.

"Copy that, loading up for another attack," she said. Suddenly off in the distance, she saw a massive barrage of scarlet laserfire slam into one of the Gladiator Star Destroyers. Even though it seemed only to be a glancing blow, the imperial ship's shields sparked and fizzled before conking out altogether. Tracing the shots, Cora recognized the white nose of the Ramora poking out from just behind a group of asteroids. Feeling her mouth curl into a smirk, she returned her attention to the closest Victory and reopened the comms to the rest of Cobalt Squad. "Alright everyone, enough appreciating the fireworks, let's get setup for that second attack run."

Tash was standing at the command bridge viewport, hands white-knuckled on the railings as the Trident drew ever-closer to the approaching GSD. Just ahead and to the Trident's 10-clock, he could see the CR90 from Task Force Majestic letting loose a barrage of turbolaser fire. Naturally, the small ship's blasts splashed harmlessly against the Star Destroyer's shields, but at the very least that meant those shields would be softened when the Neb took its shots. Now though, he had to wait for the corvette to get clear. On cue, the small vessel's engines ignited as the blockade-runner did its best to live up to its name. Just as the corvette crosse the port-side the Gladiator, however, fire erupted from the destroyer's ordnance bays. The cylinder-bridged ship's shields sparked for just a moment and then the hull was downright engulfed in explosive fury. "Open a line to the Griffon, now!" Tash ordered the comm officer, who quickly gave him a nod. "Griffon, this is the Trident, come in!"

The reply took a moment and was a bit garbled, but it was an answer. "Lieu… Walden, we copy. We're still spaceworthy… front and starboard shields are gone… comms… lost power… using emergency breathers!"

All the bad news was easily overshadowed by the fact that the ship was still flying. "Just aim for the edge of the combat zone, we can handle the mop-up. No heroes today, Griffon."

"Roger…" the affirmation came across just before the transmission cut out. The CR90's engines flared brighter as the corvette rushed toward the edge of the system. The Trident had eyes on the offending GSD, but the small destroyer had slipped behind some asteroids. Despite the Trident's advanced targeting, there was still too much interference to make a worthwhile shot. However, the nearest Victory was now in-range as well and it was wide open and begging for punishment.

"Gunners, take aim at that VSD's port hull zone," Tash ordered, the whir of the turbolasers sounding off as the guns turned to track their new target. "Steady… open fire!" The loud reports signaled the linked turbolasers' barrage, the red bolts piercing through the open vacuum and connecting with enemy ship.

"We have a confirmed hit sir! Enemy's port shields are down."

Tash pumped his fist downward in celebration. "Helm, keep us pointed at the big triangle. I want to see them either in-pieces or running for hyperspace after the next few volleys!" Steadily, the Neb-B banked well to port, keeping the now shield-less imperial destroyer firmly in its 12. However it was from this vantage that they were able to see the larger ship's own fore-turbolasers open fire… their target, the Pegasus and the squadrons supporting her.

Cora swore aloud as the big ship loosed hellfire upon all squadrons making their latest attack run. When the Trident had knocked out the shields, she'd thought the chance to really bring the VSD down had come. "All squadrons, report!" she ordered, her radar still fuzzy from the energy blasts that had only narrowly missed her. What followed with a slew of semi-garbled answers, reporting the other squadrons in various states of damage. Cardinal and Gold had to break off as well as one of Task Force Majestic's X-wing squads. As she visually studied her surroundings, she noted just two other X-wing squads in addition to cobalt nearby. The smugglers had slipped past the VSDs and had engaged the TIE Defender squadron; how long that would last, she couldn't guess, but it was one more issue that she didn't have to deal with at least. It was then that she thought of one more detail that had slipped her mind. "Pegasus, this is Cobalt Leader. Come in Pegasus, what's your status?"

A crackle of interference answered back before the Pelta's signal strengthened once more. "We read you, Commander Sunrider," it was General Pul-lar, his upbeat tone still present, but bogged down with what could have been worry, fatigue, or any number of similar emotions. "Our shields are fading, so I've ordered the crew to be ready for a jump. I fear we may not be able to offer you much more support if this keeps up."

Cora shook her head. "That's hardly what I'm worried about, sir. We can handle ourselves, I just want to make sure that you and your crew are alright. That heavy volley ravaged most of the squadrons and the Pegasus isn't anywhere near as small of a target."

"Fear not, Commander. We have the rally-point coordinates set and will be organizing rescue and recovery if we have to make the jump," Like he sensed her unease, the general was once again projecting his infectious positivity. "Besides, we have one more little trick to try on the next volley. Just make sure you stay out of the crossfire." She wanted to protest, to say something to the effect that it was her duty to keep the carrier safe… but before she had the chance to, her R3 beeped a warning. The enemy VSD's guns were once again leveling at the Pegasus and Cora knew she was dead in the crossfire. Wordlessly, she punched the throttle and aimed for the edge of the blast zone. Behind her, space seemed to go bright with a blinding flash; the next second, the sounds of turbolaser fire filled her ears.

As the volley ceased, Cora maneuvered her X-wing back around, worried she'd see the Pegasus in pieces. To her shock, while parts of the hull had some fresh burn marks, the command ship was still flying. Checking the sensors, she was seeing remnants of some kind of debris that looked like cargo crates floating near the smaller ship. It must have been some kind of improvised flash-bang to throw the VSD's targeting sensors off. It was clever… but the larger vessel was now on a collision course with the Pelta. Just before impact, the Pegasus' engines sparked and the ship leapt forward into hyperspace, leaving the weakened VSD in its exhaust fumes. Giving a relieved sigh, Cora reoriented her fighter's nose toward the wedge-shaped warship. Between it and the other VSD, the remaining Rebel fleet should have enough strength to take down at least one of them. The far VSD might still be a bit of a tall order…

As she was mentally figuring how much more defeating one of the large ships would take, space once again was filled with a cacophony of explosions; this time it was coming from the bow of the further VSD. Checking her radar, she noted a friendly ship transmitting from close range: it was the Morning Star. Not long after, the Hammerhead Corvette also made the jump to hyperspace, leaving the VSD I smoldering with no shields. Right after that, a brilliant cadre of scarlet strikes leapt forth from the Ramora which was now also turned to face the larger ship. The entire superstructure of the destroyer shuddered and began to smoke.

"Come in Cobalt Squadron, Cobalt come in!"

It was the Ramora's comm officer. Fumbling just a second with the frequency controls, Cora tapped her helmet. "This is Cobalt Leader, go ahead Ramora!"

"We have good news and bad news," the officer said, his voice a mix of excitement and desperation. "Good news is we've opened a major structural weakness in the VSD I. Bad news is, we've drifted into the nearby debris field and some of them damaged the engines! We have to limp out of here, and that Destroyer's going to try and pick us off when we clear it. We need bomber support, stat!"

Cora didn't need any more orders than that. "Copy Ramora, delivery on its way," she then switched over to the squadron frequency. "Cobalt, form-up. We're going in!"

Tash had been watching as the Pegasus made its retreat. Between it and the Morning Star, there were decidedly too few of the Rebel forces left to protect the system. The Trident still had its main guns pointed directly at the VSD II and with the massive ship's shields down, it was only a matter of a bullseye in a critical system to bring the ship down. "Gunners, aim for just below the superstructure," he ordered, his eyes focusing from his vantage at the spot he'd named. Back when he and Canth had been part of the Imperial Navy, he had never really paid much attention to Star Destroyer anatomy, having only ever been stationed on smaller warships, but something he remembered from a distant cantina conversation was ringing in the back of his mind. "Steady… open fire!" The crimson shots rang out as they tracked the VSD's center of mass. Seconds later, the shots exploded across bare hull, melting the structure before causing a second explosion as the main ion turbines detonated. The blue flames that engulfed the port side of the Destroyer were a sight to behold; moments later, the vessel's engines brightened and it escaped into lightspeed. "Excellent shooting," Tash praised as he stepped back toward his command chair. "Helm, full-speed, let's get after the second…" However, before he could finish, the other large destroyer ignited in blazing orange-purple flame. Moments later, the VSD I was limping into hyperspace as well. "Scans, report?"

"I'm seeing the Ramora, Cobalt and some of the Majestic squads in the area, sir," the sensor officer reported. "We'll very likely know which one gave the finishing blow after the battle is complete."

"Oh I'm certain," Tash said, a small chuckle laced into his voice. "Give me a sit-rep on the rest of the Imperial forces."

"The Gladiators are settling into a defensive formation and are not moving to engage our remaining ships," the holo-display just off the center console designated the two smaller destroyers as well as several small blips further afield. "Unfortunately the station wasn't as lucky. They report significant damage from the GSDs and are no longer combat-worthy. Basic life-support is still functional and comms are patchy but functional. The enemy squadrons are attempting to chase after the Griffon, but the smugglers are giving them plenty of trouble still."

Tash nodded and turned to the comm officer. "Tell the Ramora to take over squadron command, instruct them to keep the Griffon safe, we'll angle in for support as well and shoulder some of the flight controlling once we're in-range."

"And the Gladiator's sir?"

"Oh, keep some guns on them too," Tash said, eyeing the twin-pronged destroyers in the distance. "Gunners, if they slip back into range, let them know where the line is."

It took another 30 minutes before the remaining enemy squadrons and the Gladiators retreated. Cora had brought the remainder of Cobalt Squadron in for a landing at the station. The Ramora was busy watching the hyperlane while the Griffon had jumped out to the rally-point to assist the Pegasus and the Morning Star with rounding up the prodigal squadrons (after getting their essential systems running once more). The smugglers had suffered a couple casualties, Stagg's own YT-1300 included, the captain himself having punched out in his escape pod during the main furball with the Defenders. She was certain the Lieutenant Commander would get an earful about a new ship from the scoundrel before the day was done, but all the same, it was a substantial victory.

Hitting the release switch for her R3, Cora opened the canopy and climbed out of the cockpit. She was happy to see the Sullistinian crew were in good spirits and eagerly at work repairing the damage to the blue-nosed X-wings as well as the various parts of the hanger that needed post-combat TLC. It made sense. After the execution of Rolo Sparkz, a local holonet evocateur who supplied heavy critique of the Empire, Sullist had seen a major crackdown hit their planet. Having the Imperial fleet turned away, this meant the garrison below would be getting no reinforcements and that the people could once more breathe with the proverbial boot removed from their throats.

The Trident had docked with the station as well to help with repairs and medical attention. Apparently the lieutenant commander had begun his report back to Mon Cala moments after the battle had truly ended. For the most part, she understood the reasoning behind it: this was a significant moment, a time when the Alliance had successfully stood in the Empire's way and come away victorious. But, at the same time, she really had hoped Tash Walden would take at least a moment or two to savor the victory. Then again, being the C.O. for not just a ship, but an entire task force was an honor she was fairly glad she didn't have at the moment. It was still a long war and, if she lasted as long as she hoped, Cora expected she'd be forced out of the pilot's-seat and into command sooner or later. As such, now was the opportunity… no, the duty, for her to help her pilots enjoy the night. "Excuse me," she said, stepping over to one of the Sullistinians who seemed like a foreman or officer of some sort. "I don't suppose this station has a cantina on-board, does it?" The wide-eyed alien studied her for a moment, before a knowing grin spread across his face. Seconds after a rather hush-hush bilingual exchange of information, Cora was beckoning her fellow pilots to follow her. Her Sullistan vocabulary was still a bit rusty, but she was pretty sure the bar that the foreman had described was translated to something along the lines of "The Healing Spring"; a name that sounded perfect right now.

It was hard to say exactly how much time had passed between when Cobalt Leader had had her first ale and when she sobered herself up enough to declare the rest of her squadmates had had enough for the night. Honestly, if she really focused, a couple games of poorhouse Sabaac, a rather pitiful impromptu karaoke session, and a worryingly hazardous game of holo-darts should have labeled the party over a while ago; but how many more times would they get the chance? No, so long as she kept things above pass-out territory, Cora was prepared to call this "just chaotic enough". Their hosts certainly didn't seem to mind, as a good number of the Sullistinians either joined the festivities or cheered the pilots on from the sidelines. All the same though, it was getting late and Cora could have sworn she saw a number of battered X and Y-wings flying in as she glanced out the transparisteel. The task force was almost back together, which meant it was time for Gold and Cardinal to relax a bit as their ships settled in for repairs.

Making sure she was the last one out, Cora gave The Healing Spring one last appreciative glance before slipping into the turbolift and heading up toward the main docking bays. As she leaned against the side of the car, half-exhausted half-swimming, she almost missed the sound of her helmet chiming in her left hand. Lazily, she lifted the unusually heavy piece of plastoid to her ear and activated a switch on the side. "You've got Sunrider… until she sets for the night. Go ahead."

"Well then, I should probably make this quick, shouldn't I?"

Like ice water suddenly injected into her spine, Cora stood up and quickly transferred the call over to the handheld comm in her flightsuit's pocket. "Sorry, lieutenant commander. It's... been an exhausting day," she said, hoping her speech had sounded more tired-slurred than drunk-slurred just seconds before.

"I don't doubt it," Walden tossed back, his voice jovial. "But I will have to pull rank on you and order you to the Trident's bridge, if only just for 10-15 minutes. How far away are you?"

Giving a sigh away from the comm-link as the doors slid open revealing the Neb-B just out a nearby window, Cora stepped forth at a fairly stable fast-walk. "Be there in three… sir."

When the Trident's own turbolift opened, Cora was met with the eager faces of the rest of Task Force Trident's command as well as, to her increasingly self-conscious unease, Admiral Ackbar's hologram. Putting on her best smile, and hoping her dark hair wasn't too shiny with sweat, Cora stepped in and took her place among them. She did her best to avoid eye-contact with anyone holding a drink right now and instead focused on the holotable in the center as the Mon-Cal spoke.

"Let me extend my congratulations to you all!" Ackbar beamed, lifting a hand in praise. "The incredible valor and heart you have all shown today has been exemplary to the war effort. All across the Outer Rim, whispers of dissent within the Empire's rule has now become that of a low roar. Thwarting this show of force has done a wonderful job in enhancing the Alliance's presence within the galaxy as a legitimate force to take on this tyranny. Slowly, we are receiving more and more support from those who were previously unconvinced this fight could be won. Between you all, and the valiant efforts of Task Force Majestic, we have struck the first real blow against the Empire's grip." The Admiral then seemed to take a bit of a less grandiose tone as he eased into a more simple smile. "While this does not stop here, you all deserve the chance to enjoy the moment, so I will dismiss you all in just a moment after I give one final announcement."

He then turned and nodded to the Lieutenant Commander. The younger officer seemed an odd mixture of expecting something along this line, even hoping for it, and yet still being a bit too ill-equipped to receive it without reddening a bit at the cheeks. "Tash Walden. I am well-aware thanks to your elder brother that you would be the last to accept an honor before one is given to your entire Task Force, but as any great commander knows it is both the burden and the honor of command to lead from the front. As such, with agreement from senator Mothma, Organa, and the rest of Alliance high command, I hereby promote you to the rank of Commander, effective immediately. May you serve the Alliance and her fleets with the courage and the distinction you have shown in the campaign thus-far." Turning back toward the other officers, Ackbar lifted both hands. "Task Force Trident, join me in honoring Commander Tash Walden!" A chorus of applause and cheers rang out from the rest of the officers as Tash bowed reverently to not just the Admiral but everyone assembled. Cora couldn't help but appreciate how awkward her C.O. seemed receiving such an honor. It was true, different cells in the past had awarded different titles for their leaders, but receiving it from the established Alliance was a weighty responsibility indeed. Tash Walden wasn't a flawless commanding officer, not by a long shot, but she couldn't at all say he didn't care about the people he served with. That, along with glimpses of plain old common-sense she'd seen from him in the heat of battle, was enough to trust that he deserved this honor. That was why as she clapped, even in the remaining alcoholic haze, she knew it was genuine.


	6. Chapter 5: Nal Hutta

Chapter 5: Negotiations on Nal Hutta

Tash glanced up at the flickering sign above the cantina. While the wiring seemed a bit dubious, judging on how few of the letters were lit up, this was the place; the "Open Invitation". Situated in one of Nal Hutta's chief starports, even a small dive bar like this one was bound to be busy. That could mean an Alliance officer like himself could just blend into the crowd, so long as his disguise held, but it also meant there were any number of eyes on the lookout for him; be they with the Empire, the Hutts, or otherwise. He was flanked by a pair of marines, also in-disguise and weilding a pair of DH-17 blaster pistols, holstered but at the ready.

Taking a breath, he slipped into dimly-lit, less-than-fragrant tavern. Just as he expected, the bar was packed and it wasn't easy to reach the counter without shoving your way in. After a couple of minutes, the tough-looking Nikto bartender finally walked over to them. "What'da ya want?" he grunted, voice rising just enough to be heard over the surrounding cacophony.

"Here to meet someone," Tash answered. "A few humans and a green Twi-lek, seen 'em?" The bartender dropped an open palm on the countertop, flexing the fingers expectantly. Reaching into his pocket, Tash produced a 50-spot credit chip and dropped it in the bartender's hand. Giving a small smirk, the Nikto jerked his head over his right shoulder.

"Booth in the far corner," he said before turning away again. Giving a small nod of thanks, Tash slipped away from the counter and headed for the mentioned back corner. As he approached, the female Twi-lek and two humans looked up. The humans eyed them suspiciously, but the Twi-lek held his gaze with a clear confidence that she knew who they were.

"Captain Meiloorun I presume?" Tash asked, his question immediately making the humans relax and the Twi-lek's smile widen.

"That's me," she said, nodding to the seat across from her. "And you must be Commander Firaxan."

Tash nodded, trying to keep the awkwardness from his face. He would have preferred a code name related to his own fleet, rather than his brother's, but after all that had happened, the Trident and her support ships were presently much higher-profile than Firaxan Group. "I trust our mutual acquaintance explained the situation to you?"

Meiloorun nodded and handed him a datapad. "Our pilots are all packed and ready to join you for the job. They'll be using a pair of GR75s to transport their equipment to your compound. I trust you have escort waiting nearby. Things have gotten rather hot lately, even here in Huttspace."

"I assure you, Captain," Tash said giving her a resolute nod. "Your pilots are in safe hands with our people. We'll cover them during the transit."

Giving him one last stare, Meiloorun nodded and stood, the other two humans following suit. "Well in that case, I'll take my leave and head back to the rest of _my_ people. Clear-skies, Commander Firaxan… and may the Force be with you." Tash watched her and her entourage go, making sure to leave them a good chunk of minutes before leaving the bar himself. He wanted to look at the datapad now, to confirm what he'd been hoping for… but that was dangerous here. Even if the Empire wasn't watching, showing too much interest in the pad might end up attracting the attention of some petty crook or something worse. No, until he was back to their U-Wing, he'd keep it literally close to his chest on the inside of his cloak.

As he and the marines' left the bar, Tash felt eyes on him and gave a cautious glance about. There were a few street toughs staring them down from a nearby alley, but a quick flash of the A-180 blaster on his belt persuaded them to look away. Even so, there was still a feeling in the back of his mind. Motioning with his head, he turned the three of them toward the city's starport. In the weirdest of ways, Tash was actually missing the usual cat-and-mouse of dodging stormtrooper patrols planetside. When they were on an Imperial planet, then they at least would see stormtroopers marching about, clear as day. Here though, anyone could be an informant or looking to shoot them in the back… maybe both. That was why his hand was still near his hip, ready to draw the pistol at a moment's notice.

Turning a corner, Tash had the starport in-sight. He was making sure to keep a brisk pace; brisk, but not desperate brisk. This last street was relatively well-travelled… but an unusual lack of foot traffic was putting him on edge. The starport was only a good couple dozen meters ahead now. Slowly the tension was lifting in the back of Tash's mind. "Commander, get down!" Muscle-memory kicked in. Tash hit the dirt and a couple of laser blasts rang out above him. Hazarding a look up, he caught sight of a man collapsing from an elevated walkway, falling to the ground just a few meters away, a blaster carbine with a scope clattering to the ground next to him. Turning to the marines, Tash winced as he saw a clear blaster burn in the man's shoulder. Reaching for his belt, he pulled out an emergency stim and offered it to the trooper. Thankfully, the trooper didn't deny the first-aid; now was not the time to be heroic. Meanwhile the other marine was over checking the body.

"Sir… we've got a problem," he said, producing a small handheld device with a blinking light.

Tash recognized it almost immediately. "Back to the U-wing. Now!" Drawing his pistol, he took point with the wounded trooper in the center and the last marine watching their backs. His other hand fished into his belt and pulled out his comm-link. "Major, warm up the engines and raise the fleet. Let them know we're gonna have company soon!"

By the time Tash was back to the Trident's bridge, he could see the outline of two Gladiator-class Star Destroyers approaching from just behind the asteroid field that the Task Force had concealed themselves in. "Looks like I was right," he said, voice just loud enough for the officers around him to hear. "Battle stations everyone, Commander Golrin Korr has found us!" As officers began to fill the comms, sending orders to the various stations aboard the Trident, Tash studied the display, intently. As usual, Korr had their squadrons outnumbered four to three. On paper, this wasn't much issue, but the fact that those four were specially geared toward space superiority, it was worrisome to say the least. All the same, he watched as the fleet's X and Y-wings advanced to intercept. At that moment, he felt fortunate that the GR-75s that they'd be protecting at least had some basic point-defense guns, but even so this was going to be a hell of a blockade run. While the last one against Korr had ended well… Tash had long-since learned not to take prior victories as a guarantee. "Gunners, focus fire on the starboard Gladiator. We don't want to be flanked today." As the helm angled the Neb-B for optimum targeting, the Morning Star boosted its way into attack position on the far side of the Asteroid field. "Flight controllers, make sure that the X-wings and Gold stick close, I don't want them being picked off."

"Sir," the flight controller said with a nod. "The Defender squadron is approaching, should we angle point-defense in their direction?"

"Indeed," Tash said with a nod. "Give Cardinal and Cobalt all the cover they need."

Cora eyed the incoming blips on her radar with plenty of concern. Those Defenders were deadly and the last thing she wanted to do was face them head-on. This entire trip to Huttspace was meant to grant them some backup regarding their squadron numbers. For now though, it was still just the three of them, which meant Cobalt was dead in the crosshairs. "Cobalt Squadron, hold position behind that debris field, I don't want to give those mutant TIEs any easy shots," she instructed, settling her X-wing in behind some chunks of space junk and cutting her engines, her squadmates doing the same. "Cardinal, you should take cover as well, we both know how hard those things hit." However, there was only interference that replied back. "Cardinal? Cardinal come in!" Still no answer and the red dots on her radar display continued their rapid advance. The X-wings were still in-range of the Trident's point-defense guns, but with the speed and ferocity of the Defenders, there was no guarantee that they would be able to handle the initial slash. What was wrong with the comms? How were they being jammed?

Before Cora could piece together the reason, the heavy-interceptors screamed above them, angled directly at Cardinal. "Huttspit, Cobalt spring the trap! Lock S-foils in the attack position!" Firing her thrusters to full, she barrelled after the Defenders. Checking her targeting system, she had lock, but they were just out of range. "Swap to homing torpedoes, the second we catch up, let them have it!" Already, Cora saw the telltale green laser blasts as Cardinal broke formation and desperately jinked to avoid the incoming fire. Several of the red nosed X-wings caught fire as the heavy lasercannon blasts connected. The Trident attempted to connect some shots, but with Cardinal still in the fray they had to take careful aim and the tri-wings easily avoided the shots. It took all of a few seconds, but soon Cardinal Squadron was down several fighters and the remainder were making the jump to hyperspace. Cora gritted her teeth as the enemy squadron finally turned, allowing Cobalt to catch up. "Time for some payback," she said to herself, just as the lock-on chime began to ring in her ears. Pulling the trigger, she let loose the blazing-pink warheads, the duo catching one of the Defenders right in one of its solar-panel wings, vaporizing it instantly. Three more of Cobalt's pilots were just as fortunate, cutting the enemy squadron down by a third.

"Excellent shots everyone," Cora said into her headset. Once again, however, she was met with static. "Cobalt 2… 3, anyone copy? R3, can you boost the signal? We're running deaf." The astromech whistled a response, saying it was on it; however, Cora didn't have time to worry about it as she quickly receive a fresh lock warning as the remaining Defenders finished circling back around, hungry for blood. "Keep on it and the second we get through, tell everyone break for the Trident!" she called before banking hard to the right to avoid a wash of green laserfire. How were the Imps jamming her like this and so far away from the enemy ships? Whatever the reason, she had to break through the static, otherwise Cobalt was going to share in Cardinal's fate, with or without close-range support from the Trident.

Tash eyed the incoming gladiator star destroyers with caution. Normally, a good strategy for countering these ships in-particular would be to space out the fleet and rush past them as they came into range. With the neb-Bs' superior firepower at range, they could do much more damage as the GSDs approached and then slip by to avoid the destroyer's heavy ordnance… but this time Tash couldn't just cut and run. Those transports needed an escort if they were to escape into hyperspace and make it back to Mon Cala in one piece. That was what made this tricky, since gladiators thrived in target-rich environments. The good news, of course, was that they were still partially in cover, the patches of asteroids and space debris that littered the Nal Hutta system giving Task Force Trident plenty to hide behind while they awaited the freighters. Problem was, if they didn't power the engines to full at the right time, all that cover would effectively trap them.

"Sir," the comm officer reported, gesturing out the starboard side of the main viewport. "Morning Star is moving into engagement range. Should I tell them to hold back?" Thinking for a moment, Tash shook his head. Right now, only one of the gladiators was coming into the hammerhead's range, which meant the corvette would have more than enough chance to launch a defensive salvo at the other warship and then speed away. If they could soften the destroyer up, it would be that much easier for the Trident to eliminate it once it was in the neb-B's main attack range. Meanwhile, the Ramora was sitting just to the port of the Trident, setting up for a shot at the other approaching destroyer. Between the two of them, they provided a formidable firing line as well as support net for the squadrons. Speaking of, it was now that Tash noticed the enemy's defender squadron was making their advance now… along with a single lambda-class shuttle. Cobalt squadron had settled themselves into a nearby debris field for cover, but Cardinal was holding position.

"Flight controller," Tash said, nodding to the red X-wings. "Tell Cardinal to follow Cobalt's lead, they're sitting porgs out in the open like that." The officer nodded and tapped into the comm channel, making an attempt to establish contact.

"Sir… I'm getting static. Something's blocking the signal and we can't get through to them," she said bringing up her display, showing the signal waves were sporadic. "I'll try and pinpoint the source."

Tash shook his head and gritted his teeth, nodding to the tactical display. "The GSDs are too far out of range to jam them. The only other ship that could host electronic warfare suites like that has to be that lambda," he said before turning to the main gunnery officer. "Intensify the point-defense screen. Even if the shuttle keeps its distance, I want to make it as difficult as possible for those defenders!" Affirmations followed, and to his relief Cobalt Squadron was moving to engage as well, but Tash had seen those experimental TIEs rip through Alliance squadrons like a Hutt through a buffet. This was going to hurt… and then Tash saw the explosions off to starboard.

The view was blocked by another small cropping of asteroids, but the comms were already alight with panicked signals. "Commander, the Morning Star is requesting permission for an emergency jump!"

With her R3 unit once again screaming a warning behind her, Cora forced her X-wing into a sharp climb as another trio of laser blasts flew past, too close for comfort. The lock-warning just wouldn't shut up and she was getting tired. "You worry about those comms, I'll handle the fragging tail!" she cursed. Still no contact with either her own squadron or the Trident. On top of that, Gold Squadron was doing its own screening as far as protecting the fleet, so there wasn't any way that she was getting any extra friendly support right now. "At the very least, find out where in the galaxy it's coming from, yeah?" There came another pair of laser blasts and Cora felt her teeth chatter as the snubfighter tremmored. Warning lights were filling her console, and she knew there were only a handful of tricks left. "R3, cut the thrusters and fire the repulsors, full reverse!" Cora ordered before unlocking the S-foils. Her world lurched and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep her vision from going fuzzy, but almost immediately the Defender screamed past, what would have been a killing blow firing a hair too late. Yanking the controls to correct the targeting, she pulled the trigger. Four red blasts fired in unison, converging on the TIE and nailing it in not one, but two of the solar-panel wings. The enemy fighter went into a death spiral before detonating moments later.

Powering the thrusters back to full, Cora finally had a breather to check on the situation. Her X-wing's shield generator had taken a hit with that last attack and the fighter wasn't able to recharge what of the barrier it had lost. The comms were still dead, but the radar showed the defenders' numbers had finally dwindled. It was then that she noticed another blip on the radar, sitting all alone at the edge of the combat area. "Okay, R3 can I get a scan on the signal out at these coordinates?" Some affirmative beeps and whistles replied back as she turned the fighter's nose in its direction. After just a couple of seconds, the HUD in her helmet named the unknown vessel; a lambda-class shuttle. Even without having the astromech scan the imperial support craft, Cora knew it wasn't just there to enjoy the view. "Lock onto its main sensor suite, R3. We'll show them what happens when they mess with our comms!" Punching up to full throttle, Cora reopened the S-foils as the tactical info began to stream into her HUD. The shuttle was definitely combat-rated, though more defensively than offensively. Built for electronic warfare rather than head-to-head fighting. Perfect. Aiming the crosshairs of her targeting system at the main body of the craft, she feathered the trigger four times. Each individual laserblast struck home, pelting the same portion of the shield. The third and fourth consecutive blasts punched through and something visibly detonated on the exterior hull, prompting the shuttle to make a desperate evasive maneuver. Immediately after, the R3 whistled happily as the comms came back to life.

"Cobalt lead, come in! Commander Sunrider do you copy?" it was the Trident's flight controller.

"Copy Trident, this is Cobalt One. So glad to hear your voice again," she said with a smirk banking back toward the main battle.

"Agreed, though right now, we have some issues. While you did knock out the enemy's electronic warfare capabilities, those defenders had run riot against the rest of Cobalt Squadron. With your channel blocked we weren't able to give as effective fire-support. Most of your pilots have made emergency jumps… the fortunate ones at least," Cora felt her heart sink, but she packed the feeling away for after the battle was over. "Gold Squadron is holding steady, but they're in dire-straights as well. What is your status?"

Giving another look at the X-wing system readings, she tightened her grip on the controls. "Shield generator systems are hit and not recharging, rear shields down to zero, front shields at 73% and holding. All other systems are green."

There was a pause on the other end, no doubt the flight controller asking the Commander if she should be ordered to retreat. "Cobalt leader, form up with Gold and try to give them some extra cover. We need all the pilots we can spare to make sure the transports make it through."

Breathing a sigh of relief she didn't realize she was holding, Cora nodded. "Copy, forming element with Gold now."

"Concentrate fire on the incoming GSD!" Tash yelled, the frontal turbolasers screaming their response. The enemy ship was readily aflame, the front ordnance racks having exploded from the last volley. Unfortunately the ship was still on a collision course. "Brace for impact!" Mercifully, a rogue asteroid slammed into the GSD, knocking the disabled vessel off course. Some sizable chunks of ship still hit the Trident, but the majority of the damage was negligible. "Comms, make sure the crew have rebreathers handy. If any of the life-support systems go, I want everyone to be ready."

"Sir, we have contacts. Four GR75 transports arriving at the rendezvous coordinates," the sensor officer reported. Glancing at the sensor map, Tash did count two pairs of GR75s dropping out of hyperspace. The bad news was they were directly in the path of the remaining GSD, but the good news was the Ramora was keeping the gladiator plenty busy. While the GR75s weren't known for their combat ability, they _did_ possess competent maneuverability, something that put them at an advantage when dealing with a high-damage/low accuracy warship like the GSD. That meant the remaining imperial ship wasn't half as intimidating as the remaining enemy squadrons. The defenders had retreated out of point-defense range, leaving a decimator gunship and another aggressor starfighter to attack the fleet. Fortunately, this aggressor didn't seem to have as much speed or power as the one that worked with the other imperial fleet and the Ramora was scoring several hits against it as well.

"Gunnery, keep them covered from the enemy squadron attacks," Tash instructed. "Comms, tell the Ramora to do the same." Steadily, the battle's tide seemed to be turning in their favor. Gold, with assistance from Cobalt leader, was keeping the still-engaged enemies busy and the Ramora had successfully boosted its way around the remaining GSD. Now all that was left was to get the Trident out of the line of fire too. "Helm, get the engines to full-power. Aim for the hyperlane." The roar of the Trident's engines vibrated through the ship as he clutched the arm rests of his command chair. While the enemy gladiator made an attempt to get in the way, it was still too just out of any true threat range. Just one more debris field to clear and they would be out of this trap.

"Sir, we have incoming, it's the Defenders!" The sensor officer exclaimed.

Tash's eyes widened, his attention being drawn to the debris just ahead. The remaining few of the tri-winged TIEs filtered out from between the space junk like Geonosians from a hive. "What's the status of Cobalt Leader and Gold Squadron?"

"They're tied down by the other enemy squadrons. We're wide open!"

Tash gritted his teeth. "Engineering all power to the weakest shields, don't let them though!" There came a tremor from the starboard side, some warning lights filling the bridge. "Report!"

"We have venting along the dorsal strut. Locking down the blast doors now," Engineering said. "The comms are getting shaky with the aft section of the ship. We might lose contact soon sir. Orders?"

Tash took another glance at the charts. The Ramora was just now breaking away from the other enemy squadrons, and the transports had just cleared the GSD. There was a time to stick around and keep up the fight… but with the Trident's hull already breached, he also had his own crew to worry about. "Tell them to make an emergency jump, aim for the rally-point." An affirmation followed and moments later, as the missile-warning returned, the front viewport saw the stars lengthen to white lines.

Leaving hyperspace, Tash noted how shaky the Trident felt as the sublight drives sputtered back to life. This was the first time since this campaign began that the Task Force's flag ship had had to retreat before the end of the battle. "Status report on the Morning Star, Cobalt and Cardinal Squadrons?" he asked, nodding to the comm officer.

After a quick couple of moments of speaking with the various parties, she turned back to him. "Morning Star is pretty heavily damaged, their main hull on the starboard side is completely exposed to vacuum. Cobalt and Cardinal have settled in together. Between both, they number about 11." Tash groaned at that, not even enough pilots for a full squadron. Between that and the significant damage suffered by both ships, he could easily categorize this simple exchange of resources between rebel cells a significant bloodbath.

"Sir," The sensor technician turned from his station. "We have incoming signatures from hyperspace… the direction suggests its from Nal-Hutta." Turning back toward the radar, Tash held his breath, hoping that the new contacts confirmed as Alliance. It took a couple of seconds, but the blips on the holo display soon turned from grey to blue, three of the signals solidifying into the telltale shapes of two egg-shaped transports, and one nebulon-B frigate, surrounded by at least seven smaller dots.

The comms station soon lit up with an incoming signal and Tash nodded for the comms officer to put it on the bridge's speaker. "Go ahead Ramora, what's your status?" he said.

"Green, sir," the Ramora's captain answered, his voice sounding certainly tired, but content. "We were very lucky on our way out. We disabled the enemy aggressor and the GR75s were able to force the decimator to retreat into hyperspace. The defenders made an attempt, but the moment that they came into range, we were able to focus enough fire to keep them off of us and Gold." Tash slowly felt his shoulders relax. It still was a costly victory, but a victory none-the-less. "Captain Syndula's transports are in pristine condition and are ready to follow us back to Mon Cala. On your order, Commander."

Giving a nod to the comm officer, Tash made his way back to his captain's chair and settled in. "All ships, fall into formation and set course for Mon Cala. We'll have a lot of work to do these next couple rotations, getting back to full combat readiness and orienting our new siblings-in-arms, but the Empire didn't break us today and we'll definitely give them hell tomorrow!"


	7. Chapter 6: Mandalore

Chapter 6: Defence of Mandalore

Tash studied the stream of tactical information flowing across his screen closely. It was more than a bit agonizing, watching the pilots of his fleet doing all the work while the Trident and her sister ships were relegated to blockade duty above the planet. The timing couldn't have been worse, honestly. They had only just managed to get their squadrons back to fighting shape and orient the new pilots when the call came in from the top brass. Mandalore was under siege.

To say that the Mandalorian people were a strong ally was a gross understatement. Their skills in combat alone was a massive game changer for the Alliance's cause; let alone their cutting edge weapons and technology. Of course, since they showed clear favoritism against the Empire in the recent months, it seemed to have painted a target on their backs. Therefore, when an imperial raiding fleet snuck by the orbital sensors and landed planetside, of course Rebel Command answered the call to support.

When the fleet had arrived in system, they caught sight of a single Quasar Fire-class carrier in orbit. Unlike other imperial warships which would have turned to face them, it immediately cut toward the edge of the system and retreated, leaving its squadrons and troop carriers stranded on the ground. Of course, that didn't mean the ground war was an easy one. On the planet below, there was a major firefight occurring on the plains outside of Mandalore's capital. The Mandalorians themselves were providing the main bulk of the infantry and armor, with some of Task Force Trident's marines supplementing the imperials had been able to secure a foothold in the eastern mountain ranges and Clan Saxon, the faction that the Empire had named as the planet's ruling faction before the war had begun in earnest, was presently holding the walls of the capital city. Therefore the Alliance-loyal clans were making a siege on the city, while Task force trident handled the enemy reinforcements. Task Force Trident however, had more than just marines offering support.

"Flight-Con, contact wing-commander Sundrider. Tell her she's got contacts from the southeast, TIE bomber squadron incoming," Tash ordered, the Trident's sensors easily able to survey the battle below and pick out the different contacts thanks to the Morning Star's close-range scans. The corvette had gone to ground and was acting as a link between the neb-Bs above and the squadrons down below. Honestly, while Tash felt tense waiting for an enemy fleet to appear from hyperspace, he knew all too well that the squadrons down below had the situation well in-hand. Especially with the new pilots and upgrades they'd received from Captain Syndulla's Phoenix Squadron.

* * *

"Roger Trident, I see them. Cardinal Squadron, engage," Cora ordered, her tactical map alight with plenty of contacts. The imperial reinforcements were coming in waves and the Mandalorians, even when caught between the city's dome and the approaching stormtroopers seemed to effortlessly hold the line. However, they hadn't yet had to face any significant imperial armor or bombing runs. Cora planned to keep it that way. "Gold Squadron, we have incoming AT-STs due east. Stand by for targeting information." She was flying high above the main theater, the rest of Cobalt backing her up from below. For the most part, the enemy air support was largely limited to bombers, making it very easy for the three full squadrons of X-Wings to keep the Mando ground forces safe. Clearly, the imps had been expecting this to be a much more one-sided battle and now they were paying the price for it.

After the last fight with Commander Golrin Korr, the task force's squadrons had been all but depleted, less than six snub-fighters left in each. However, the sacrifice was more than worth it. Captain Syndulla's pilots had brought with them factory-new X and Y-wings, as well as the parts for maintaining each. Not only that, but they'd included an entire squadron's worth of X-wings outfitted with some new cluster-missiles. While only possessing limited homing capabilities, their payload would detonate with a large blast radius, allowing a skilled pilot to easily pick off multiple enemies with only one well-placed shot. Problem was, it took training to ensure that the pilot firing the missile wouldn't be caught in their own blast. As such, the famed Twi-lek Captain had sent some of her best aspiring pilots to train the rest of their new "Garuda Squadron".

"Garuda Lead, this is Cobalt Lead," she said noting a larger shape down below. "Looks like the imps have deployed an AT-AT. Can you handle it, Lieutenant Antilles?"

"Roger flight-lead, starting our attack run."

Cora nodded to herself and breathed out. For the moment all things were managed. So long as the fleet held the line and prevented any enemy fleets from reinforcing the imps on the ground, the Mando revolutionaries had a fighting chance. The R3 behind her gave a whistlebeep, alerting Cora to some new contacts slipping in. This time, it was coming from the west, from the city. "Flight lead to Morning Star, I'm seeing some unknowns on approach. Can you ID?"

It took a moment, but the morning star soon replied. "Fang fighters on approach, Wing Commander. They've overshot the ground units and are vectoring on approach for Gold Squadron. Recommending intercept!"

"Copy Morning Star," Cora said before bringing her X-wing into a banking dive. "Cobalt Squadron, on me. Lock S-foils and calibrate targeting. We're on the intercept for Gold." Fang fighters, like all Mandalorian tech, were state-of-the-art and deadly. Mostly used for air and space superiority, they were particularly difficult opponents in a dogfight. Good news was, these pilots weren't the Defenders of Concord Dawn, they were clan Saxon grunts. Not pushovers, but not specially trained aces either. And right now, Cobalt had the altitude on them. "R3 increase the anti-g systems and get ready with the repulsors. I want us to dive in right behind them, give them no chance for retaliation." Some affirmative beeps replied back and soon Cora could make out some shapes moving just above the ground ahead of her. Steadying the control yoke she angled her for intercept. "Linking laser cannons now," she reported over the comms. "After the initial slash, bank away from them and circle back around. Don't give them the chance to get behind you." Steadily, she could better make out the red and white markings on the wedge-shaped fighters. Centering the lead fighter in her targeting computer's crosshairs, Cora breathed out and held it. The second that the lock began to chime, she squeezed the trigger and fired off a quad of red laser blasts.

The first of the fangs immediately caught fire and spun out of control, the gyroscopic S-foils of the craft failing and putting it into a death spiral. The remaining fighters began to jink, but even as she turned to circle back, she saw the rest of Cobalt's shots hit their marks. Watching her display closely, she took note as the contacts dropped one after the other, only a couple of the fangs still flying.

"Wing commander come in," the comms buzzed to life in her ears as the Morning Star's captain spoke. "What's your status?"

"Sunrider here. We've got the upper hand against the imperial armor," she reported, noting how both the AT-STs and the AT-AT had disappeared from radar. Meanwhile the TIE remaining TIE bombers had broken off and the fangs seemed to be doing the same. "Enemy air support is also routing. I'm ready to order my squadrons to chase the remaining imperial forces down and finish them off."

There was a pause before the corvette's captain replied. "Negative flight lead. Form up and follow us back into orbit. New update from the Trident, the imperial fleet has returned. It's Golrin Korr's fleet."

Feeling her jaw set, Cora nodded. "Copy Morning Star, we'll back you up."

* * *

As Cora led the rest of the Task Force's squadrons back up into Mandalore's orbit, her sensors once again filled with the several red lights that showed incoming enemy ships. Two large and several small were flanking them. Switching her channel to hail the Trident, Cora opened the comm. "This is Flight Lead, what's the enemy headcount?"

There was a pause before the flight controller aboard the neb-B answered. "We count two squadrons of enemy TIEs, including the defender squadron you've faced multiple times and a squadron of TIE/ADs. Other than that, we have the same unusual small-craft supporting them: the aggressor, the decimator, and the lambda."

Cora let each of the craft listed run through her mind. The TIE Advanced squadron was new. Like the defenders, they possessed shields and a hyperdrive; unlike the defenders they weren't as fast, as well armed, nor as overall deadly, however they could easily get in the way of any of the rebel squads trying to target the enemy ships or other small craft. The aggressor and the decimator were both dangerous, but overall could be countered so long as there was decent support from the neb-Bs and the hammerhead. Finally, there was the deadly duo: the defenders and that lambda shuttle with its suite of electronic warfare. Just weeks ago, the Task Force's squadrons had been all but decimated by that terrible 1-2 punch. While they were all better armed and staffed this time around, Cora knew she had to be careful how she handled the X and Y-wings' engagements in this fight. This was no longer just Cobalt she had to look out for, it was everyone. Turning her attention to the rebel ships, she took note of their approach vectors, the Trident was holding the center-line with the Ramora staggered just off of its port-side while the Morning Star was directly alongside on the starboard, using a nearby patch of asteroids for cover. The space between the Morning Star and the Trident made a perfect kill-box.

"Cardinal, this is Flight Lead," she said opening the direct channel to the other X-wing squadron. "Form up and settle into the Trident's two-o'clock. That should give you plenty of cover and put you in a good position to strike at the enemy once they break formation."

"Roger Commander Sunrider, moving into position now," came Cardinal One's reply.

"Gold Squadron, back them up. Once the enemy starts shooting, start picking targets." Gold's reply came shortly after and the Y-wings banked to follow. Cora then turned and angled her nose toward the Trident's portside. "Wedge, have Garuda form-up and follow Cobalt, we're going to sit between the Trident and Ramora, make the enemy squads nervous about getting close."

"Roger Commander, forming on your six," Wedge's voice replied. Eyeing the radar, Cora saw the TIEs and the lambda making moves to approach. This could still end pretty badly if they weren't on their toes. She had faith in Captain Syndula's pilots and their training, but even the best training sometimes fell short against enough firepower.

"R3, reroute shield power, double-front," she ordered. "We need to be able to survive this initial slash." The astromech gave an urgent beep and whistle as the shields shifted to match her request. Studying her HUD, however, she noticed something odd about the enemy squadrons' approach vector. "Hey… R3 can you calculate that approach for me?" A few more seconds ticked by, and Cora felt her eyes widen at the new data. Immediately she clicked on comms once more. "Wedge, this is Cobalt Leader. Forget the previous order and set up for an intercept course with the TIE defender squadron!" she said, banking hard to port, opening the S-foils and aiming her targeting systems toward the steadily growing red dots. "They're heading for the Ramora, don't let them start taking shots!"

Garuda squadron soon passed, their engines running at full. Normally, the heavy shot saturation that TIE defenders could dish out meant it was better to sacrifice speed for accuracy… but with their attention drawn by the neb-B, Wedge had the right idea. Cora meanwhile angled herself just to the right, aiming for the trailing TIE advanced squadron, no doubt preparing to counterattack whoever shot at the defenders opening slash. As all crafts converged, she saw the Ramora's portside shields flicker as the TIEs' ordnance hit their mark. Seconds later, the imperial fighters cleared the nebulon-B's engine block, space exploded with fire and light. A handful of the defenders seemed to clear the blast zone, but the vast majority of the heavy interceptors had been turned to space debris. _That's for last time, _Cora thought darkly as her targeting system began to beep as it acquired a lock on the approaching X1s. Squeezing the trigger, she caught a number of the heavy-duty TIEs in their thicker solar-panel wings; while she herself didn't score any kills, the rest of Cobalt was able to pick up the pieces, dropping the enemy count even further and forcing them to break off their counter-attack against Garuda Squadron.

Now a furball was started in earnest between the X-wings and the TIEs. While the X-wings had the upper hand in numbers from the initial clash, the defenders and the X1s were still advanced space-superiority fighters specifically built to counter the Alliance's fighters. In this close of proximity, it also made things difficult for Garuda to use their ordnance without harming themselves or Cobalt. This was all just pure skill now; a matter of who got who in their sights first. Catching sight of an X1 dipping down from above, Cora adjusted her X-wing's yaw and let loose a burst of laserfire, shearing off one of the wings and sending the craft spiraling out of control. Seconds later, her shields flickered as a green lights lapped at her from the side, prompting her to bank hard. "R3, get the shields rebalanced, the aft's wide open!" The droid beeped and whined, desperately trying to push the excess energy allocated to the front back to the rear. The lock warning returned and Cora swore, banking in the other direction… only for the warning to fade.

"I have your back Flight Lead," Wedge's voice reported, causing her to sigh with relief.

Leveling out her fighter once again, Cora saw the other frequency beeping, showing the Ramora's ID. "Sunrider here, go ahead Ramora."

"Flight Commander, have Cobalt and Garuda move toward our starboard. Our gunners have a shot on the remaining defenders, but we won't risk it with your pilots in the way."

"Copy," She answered, the smirk on her face effortless. "All X-wing fighting the TIEs, break off and move closer to the Ramora!" In moments the friendly blips on the radar were falling into formation, the TIEs trying to settle in behind… only for a wash of turbolaster fire blasting through them. In no time, the enemy fighter count had dropped to a third of what they had left.

"TIE defender squadron confirmed destroyed, Flight Lead," Wedge reported. "The TIE advanced squadrons are still flying. Mind if I do the honors?"

"Go for it Wedge. Cobalt and I are going to go backup Cardinal," she said before turning back toward the Trident. Changing frequencies she studied the display… and felt her heart stop. "Cardinal Leader, this is Cobalt Leader, come in!" No response. "Cobalt to Cardinal, please respond if you can hear me!" Still nothing. Frantically, she switched frequencies. "Gold Leader, this is Cobalt Leader, do you have eyes on Cardinal Squadron?!"

The comm crackled and burped in her ear for a moment before a garbled response called back. "Gold… here… Cardinal… have been… destroyed… decimator… electronic warf… support…!" the line then cut out.

Setting her jaw Cora unlocked her S-foils and pushed the engines to full-throttle. "Trident come-in, this is Cobalt Leader, what's the status on the enemy squadrons nearest to you?"

Mercifully, the Trident's flight controller responded. "Commander Sunrider, the enemy aggressor has been forced to make an emergency jump, but the decimator is still menacing both us and Gold Squadron. The Y-wings are doing their best to draw their attention, but even with their heavier shields, they're taking too much damage. We're sending you location and targeting data now." Cora watched as her blurry HUD information solidified, giving her a much better idea what she was up against. On one hand, the decimator was alone, save the lambda offering electronic warfare, but one of the enemy gladiator star destroyers was currently locked in combat with the Trident and the fire exchange was saturating the distance between her and Gold.

Studying the radar display one last time, Cora caught sight of the enemy lambda, situated just in the shadow the approaching gladiator. "Trident, can you focus fire on that enemy shuttle? If we can just get into contact with Gold, we can coordinate a counter-strike."

"Roger, Flight Lead," the Trident answered.

As her X-wing approached the heavy combat zone, she saw the point-defense guns opening fire on the lambda, causing the craft to rush toward the far side of the destroyer, the second the ship was out of range, Cora tried the comms again. "Gold, this is Cobalt. If you can, try to cut across the Trident's dorsal structure towards us, copy?"

It took a second, but soon a crystal clear voice answered back. "Gold to Cobalt, I copy Flight Lead. Adjusting heading toward your position." Giving a relieved sigh, Cora angled her nose toward the main dorsal structure of the Trident and aimed her crosshairs straight at the approaching attack craft. As she hoped, the fire intensity coming from the GSD let up as the decimator passed into the killzone. Switching to homing torpedoes, Cora reopened her S-foils and acquired the target.

Slowly the distance ticked down before the display went red as the target locked. "Gold, break now!" she called over the comm as she let loose the twin warheads. The Y-wings parted out of the way, clearing a path for the torpedoes to find their mark. The Decimator made an attempt to dodge out of the way, but to no avail as the shots caught it in the broadside of its main fuselage. Even with its heavier shields and thick armor, the gunship had no chance in shrugging off the explosion that followed. Giving a sigh of relief, Cora banked her X-wing back around to settle into the same heading as Gold. "All clear Gold Leader, sorry to keep you waiting."

"No complaints here, Flight Lead," Gold Leader replied. "Just glad you showed up when you did. That thing was impossible to get away from, and even if we could, we couldn't leave the Trident exposed."

"How… long did Cardinal last?" she asked, forcing the words out despite how much they stung.

A pause followed her question. "Cardinal leader went down fighting, but the imps started scrambling his systems just before the initial clash. Comms were gone and we couldn't keep up coordination. The Trident couldn't risk firing into the furball when there were more allies to shoot than enemies."

"Copy that…" Naturally, Cora couldn't help but blame herself for what happened… but honestly, if the lambda hadn't chosen to hit Cardinal, it would have gone after one of the other squadrons, no doubt. The best anyone could do right now was to cover the fleet as they fought off the two Gladiators still in the combat zone. "Garuda squadron, can I get a sit-rep? What is your status?"

"TIE X1 squadron neutralized. Ready for further orders, Flight Lead," Wedge replied, his squadron cruising alongside the Ramora in a defensive formation. Giving a relieved exhale, she studied the combat zone. The Trident and the Ramora had bypassed the enemy Gladiators and were presently making moves to turn back and face them. One of the GSDs was angling back in to face the fleet while the other was still en-route to Mandalore. Radar was picking up several smaller craft emerging from its hangers.

"Form up on me, we'll try to chase down that escaping gladiator before it can reinforce the imps' ground position…" Cora said, preparing to kick the throttle back to full.

"That won't be necessary, Commander Sunrider," a feminine voice answered. Seconds later the radar noted four unknowns slipping into the battlefield. After some brief analysis from her R3 unit, Cora recognized them as Kom'rk-class fighter/transports, famously known as Mandalorian Gauntlets. Once they were within range of the imperial landing craft, the enemy ships quickly began to drop from radar. Shortly after, the gladiator turned away from the planet and made an emergency jump to hyperspace. As the final GSD made its own jump, the mandalorian fighters made their final approach to the Task Force. The lead Gauntlet was painted gold and grey, a strikingly unique color compared to its blue and dark-grey counterparts. "This is Countess Ursa Wren, I am here to speak with Commander Walden."

Moments later, the open channel was joined by Tash's voice. "This is Commander Walden. Flight Commander Sunrider, if you and Cobalt team would please escort the Countess." Closing her S-foils, Cora settled next to the larger assault fighter and matched speed. "What is the status of the ground war, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Imperial forces have been captured and are being held as prisoners of war. Clan Saxon and their supporters are being given the same treatment. The capitol is now under our control." The countess' voice was the cold matter-of-fact that one would expect from a leader from a warrior culture. "Your assistance in this fight has been exemplary, and I give particular credit to Commander Sunrider and her squadrons." Cora definitely appreciated the praise; given the woman's serious tone, she assumed the Countess didn't give such complements out very frequently. "I will wait until we meet in-private to discuss the terms of our continued allegiance."

* * *

Tash straightened his uniform as he waited at the main docking port for Countess Wren's arrival. Knowing that Mandalorians valued strength, he was flanked by two marines, both armed with A-280 blaster rifles in-hand but not leveled. As the airlock hissed open, three Mandolorians came into view, all wearing gold and light-grey armor. The center Mando's helmet reminded Tash of a nocturnal bird of prey while the other two had more standardized mandalorian helmets with no extra frills apart from the paint job. Each were armed with twin Westar-35 blasters each painted to match their armor; while holstered, Tash had no doubt each of them were able to draw in the blink of an eye. "Countess Wren. Welcome to the Trident."

Reaching up to remove her helmet, the countess met him with a harsh-but-professional gaze. "I must confess… I'm rather shocked how long ships like this have lasted in your Rebellion's war against the Empire. The thin dorsal strut is a glaring weakness that any competent commanders would readily exploit."

Tash gave a chuckle and a shrug. "I don't disagree with you, Countess, but the Alliance doesn't often have the choice. We simply make do with what we have and try to cover our weaknesses where possible."

The Mandolorian clan leader gave a thoughtful huff, and Tash could have sworn he saw her mouth curl just a little (if only for a moment) before she stepped forward, her guards remaining a couple steps behind her. "Enough pleasantries. I trust your ship has a conference room where we can speak in private?"

"Right this way," Tash said turning and walking just a pace or two ahead of her, the Marines remaining shoulder to shoulder with him. After a brief walk, then entered the Trident's main diplomatic suite. Likely used in the Imperial Navy for humoring some stuff-shirt Imperial moffs or higher members of the military, it was a sterile and geometrically utilitarian meeting room. Tash had furnished it with some flags embroidered with the Rebel starbird but other than that it was still as cold and humorless as the day it was christened at Kuat. All the same, the Countess didn't seem to show any positive or negative reaction to the furnishing one way or another.

"I believe it is worth saying, but Mand'alor Kryze is very grateful for the Alliance's continued support," she said, taking a seat at the main conference table. "She does, however, worry how much attention that has been gathered around Mandalore. This latest attack was primarily spurred by imperial aggression, but we still do not possess the numbers, nor the fleet to stand up to a true imperial fleet. If faced with a true assault on the planet, we need to know that the Alliance is willing to step in and come to our aid, just as they have today."

Tash nodded his understanding. Mandalore was far from a defenseless world, but militarily savvy or not, without a substantial planetary defense a decently-sized Imperial fleet could easily lay waste to the planet below with little worry of resistance. Thankfully, the admiral had already contacted Tash on his way to this battle. "The Alliance is prepared to offer the necessary aid. We have ships that can defend Mandalore from orbital bombardment," he said. "Just like today, we can rush to Mandalore's aid at a moment's notice…"

"Commander, let me be frank," the Countess' voice lowered and her eyes narrowed. "I'm not asking if the Alliance will come to our aid or not; that, at the very least, has been proven through your actions and those of you collegue, General Pul-Lar. What I am asking you _now_ is will the Alliance send a fleet to remain permanently in orbit to defend us from attacks proactively, rather than reactively? If we're attacked by a sizeable Imperial fleet, there likely won't be enough time to send out a transmission, let alone time for one of your fleets to fly to that aid from Mon Cala."

Tash felt his blood run cold. Ackbar hadn't cleared him to guarantee a defensive fleet and without authorization from command, he could not offer that now. "Countess Wren, believe me when I say, the Alliance values Mandalore as an ally…"

"Think well before you speak, Commander Walden," Wren said, her voice taking a dangerous tone. "If you're going to preemtively sweeten what you're about to say, I'm prepared to preemtively throw that claim that 'the Alliance values Mandalore' right back in your face. I have no illusions that mine is a homeworld… a race with the ability to wage galactic war like in times of old. In the here and now, we are either protected as a sovereign system, or we are simply one Imperial Moff's ire from complete annihilation. Do you understand me?" Like that, Tash felt his blood downright freeze over. What had been a successful defense of Mandalore was now teetering on the edge of a diplomatice breakdown over continued protection. Continued protection that he was still unable to guarantee. After a long moment of silence the Countess finally sighed and stood. "I believe I have my answer. When your war is finished, we will send an envoy if your Republic is successful. If not, at the very least we will not have lost valuable Mandalorians to a lost cause."

As she turned to go, Tash felt his nerves stiffen. What he was about to say was definitely a gamble… in more ways than one. "Your daughter seems to think differently, Countess," he said, causing her to stop in her tracks. "She's a legend among the Alliance, her and everyone among Phoenix Squadron. The system of Lothal is free today because of her efforts, efforts she made after protecting Mandalore. That's what an Alliance means: that we aren't just a bunch of isolated systems, we are united against this common foe." The countess half-turned and fixed him with a gaze like the barrel of a blaster. Tash held that gaze for a moment before continuing. "This Alliance also isn't just systems, it's individuals taking a stand. Just like your family fights for Mandalore and the Alliance, so mine seeks to fight for Corellia and the Alliance. All systems should be united as one, and so should Wren and Walden. So…" Tash took another breath, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his personal comm link. "... while I can't speak for Alliance command, I can speak for myself, and for my brother, Fleet Commander Canth Walden. While Task Force Trident is small, Firaxan group has plenty of ships. I will contact my brother and convince him to send a detachment of his fleet to defend Mandalore's sovereignty. And if Firaxan group calls all of their ships to a major conflict… my fleet will personally fill in for them, you have my word."

Slowly, Ursa Wren turned back to face him completely, her eyes still set in that same harsh stare. After a long moment, however, she drew one of her Westar blasters. The marines shuffled in surprise lowering their rifles, but Tash held up a hand and shook his head. Not having flinched once, the Countess placed the blaster on the table in an offering. "I will accept your word, Tash Walden, but in exchange you will make a pact with me. Take this blaster and keep it with you at all times. If you break your word, you will return this blaster to me and it will be the gun that takes your life; otherwise, my clan will hunt down yours and wipe it from the face of the galaxy. Do you accept?" Tash studied her for a moment longer, then with a steady hand, he reached forward and accepted it.


	8. Chapter 7: Concord Dawn

Chapter 7: Intercept at Concord Dawn

The dazzling blue tunnel of hyperspace stretched before Tash, giving him a moment for contemplation as he prepared for this first battle after Mandalore. In the semi-silence, he could still feel his head ringing from the chat he'd had between himself, Canth, and Admiral Ackbar regarding his promise with Countess Wren. While in the end, the elder Walden had agreed to provide another detachment of Firaxan group for a Mandalorian defense fleet and the Admiral had bolstered that with the logistical support, both commanding officers had some choice words for Tash regarding his "volunteering" of forces that were not his own. Part of him was all but certain if it had been any system other than Mandalore, they would have made him take the blaster-bolt for it; considering the oath he had taken, he was relieved that wasn't the case.

Today was a preemptive strike which actually made good on his oath and fit into the Alliance war plans simultaneously. The target was Concord Dawn, historically a defensive bastion of Mandalore's sector, now was merely a deserted pitstop on the way to the planet. Canth's intel suggested there was a member of Clan Saxon currently in contact with the imperials who was seeking to defect. Along with their defection, the Mando had also offered intel that Captain Grego Manx's fleet would be arriving with some bomber squadrons in an attempt to set up for another assault on Mandalore. Therefore, the plan was to take down those enemy squadrons and recover the defector's ship while the detachment of Firaxan Group set up a defensive line at Mandalore. Task Force Trident just had to soften them up so Canth's people could knock them down. Tash remembered all too well how formidable Manx's VSDs were, so the neb-Bs were definitely at a disadvantage in both firepower and durability; however, the enemy's squadron complement had always been lacking. Even down one X-wing squadron, with Lt. Antilles and Commander Sunrider filling out their anti-squadron roles, he was certain that they had the upper-hand here.

The chime from the navigator's station made Tash turn. "Sir, approaching Concord Dawn now," the officer reported.

After a moment, hyperspace faded from view, stars and space returning. The comm officer signaled to him and Tash cleared his throat. "All hands, battle-stations! Pilots, to your fighters!"

* * *

Cora opened the throttle slowly as hanger-control signaled her for launch. After a brief moment of weightlessness as the craft left the Trident, her X-wing's artificial gravity kicked in and she angled the craft to match the larger ship's speed and heading. "All craft report in," she ordered, the other snubfighter pilots reporting their callsigns. Steadily, she watched as her helmet's HUD updated with new combat information. Sure as the stars in the sky, there sat two Victory-class star destroyers on the far side of Concord Dawn's debris-fields. Surrounding them were three squadrons of TIEs, two bomber and one standard fighter wing, as well as three small support craft… Cora paused as she mentally checked her intel. "Trident, this is Cobalt Leader," she said after flipping the comms back to the main fleet. "I'm seeing one more small attack craft than planned. Can you confirm?"

There was a brief pause before the flight controller replied. "Confirmed, reading one unknown among the enemy squadrons. Stand by…" a couple of moments passed as the data continued to slowly stream in. "Jumpmaster 5000 confirmed among enemy squadrons. Is broadcasting an imperial IFF and seems to be flying close to enemy squads. Recommend caution upon engagement."

"Copy Trident," Cora said, her eyes narrowing at the new readings. If there was one thing she had learned to dread throughout this campaign, it was unconventional imperial fighter craft. Of course, that didn't change what needed to be done. "Cobalt, form up on me and keep a loose formation. Gold, Garuda, both of you watch our flanks." Affirmations soon rang through and Cora angled her nose toward an outcropping of asteroids. They could use them as a cover right up until the enemy fleet was in striking range, then break toward them under the cover of the Trident's turbolaser fire. With any luck, that would hopefully mitigate them being outnumbered two-to-one… hopefully.

* * *

Tash eyed the slowly approaching enemy ships cautiously. Senior-Captain Grego Manx had exchanged fire with Task Force Trident a while back during the campaign. Since then, it had mostly been the pleasure of General Pul-lar to tackle the double VSD fleet. However, as if to encapsulate how difficult the fight in the Outer Rim had become, the mon-cal general had gone MIA after the last run in with Manx. At some point, what had been a manageable enemy fleet had now gained some extra teeth and Tash wanted to make sure his crews weren't the ones to suffer due to that lack of intel. "Gunnery, what's the status on our range?" Tash asked, his eyes narrowing at the two wedge-shaped destroyers.

"Just a couple of seconds from effective range sir," the officer reported. That was one thing that the Neb-Bs had on their side. At long range, the outdated victory class destroyers had the exact same damage output with only a fraction of the maneuverability. Add in the fact that the Trident herself was equipped with improved shielding technology and a team of mandalorian technicians managing the output. With the Ramora flanking, at least on paper, they had the upper-hand. In the distance, he could see the guns on the enemy destroyer beginning to light up. However, he could also see the ion cannons turning to target them as well.

A warning siren began to play as the sensor officer spun around in their chair. "Sir, abnormal energy reading from the VSD II… the ion cannons are lit up like a solar flare!"

Eyes widening, Tash grabbed hold of the command platform guard rail. "Everyone brace!" he exclaimed, as a wash of green and blue energy bolts washed across the front arc, the shields taking the hit. As the craft slowly ceased shaking and the claxons ceased their whine, Tash stood up straight again and glanced over at engineering. "Report!"

"Bow shields holding at 33%. I don't know what the hell that was, but I've never seen a VSD do that from long range!" the engineering officer said.

"Nor have I… sensors, are we going to have to take more of that?"

The officer checked his display closely for a moment before giving a relieved sigh. "Doubtful. I see a pair of overheated capacitors that the destroyer just jettisoned. We should be fine until we reach medium range."

Tash nodded before turning back toward the gunnery officer. "Well then, it's our turn. Return fire!"

* * *

Cora blinked as the bright lights faded from her view. Had those shots really just come from that VSD? Turning back to the X-wing's comm controls, she found the Trident's frequency. "Cobalt Leader to Trident, come in Trident!" she said, hoping that her voice didn't sound too frantic.

After a moment, the flight controller's voice rang back loud and clear. "Roger Cobalt, this is Trident. Our shields are holding, you have green light to engage!"

"Copy Trident, starting first attack run now," Cora said, feeling her shoulders relax, relieved the flagship was alright. "R3 switch the shields to double-front, we're going in!" The snubfighter boosted forward, weaving through the small asteroid field with ease. A trio of red turbolaser blasts shot past as the Trident laid down some covering fire. In the distance, she could see the enemy squadrons forming a defensive line between her and the VSDs; the mandalorian gunship situated amongst them. "All squadrons target the TIEs and the mercenary fighters, but do not hit the gauntlet. I repeat, DO NOT TARGET THE DEFECTOR!" Angling herself toward the jumpmaster, she began searching for a lock. Just a couple more meters… the X-wing's own lock warning blared to life. "Huttspit!" Cora cursed before jinking hard left. Quadruple blue energy bolts shot past her, just a hair off target. Studying her display, she noted that familiar aggressor starfighter. Of course it wasn't going to be that easy, she thought to herself. Soon she was seeing space around her awash with laserfire and frantic maneuvering. Stuck in a furball right next to an Imperial capital ship was not her idea of good positioning, but with so few options, she knew they couldn't possibly have asked for any better. "Gotta pull this out of the fire," she growled to herself, spinning the craft around to angle toward the main combat zone.

Immediately, she caught sight of that same jumpmaster, the craft just casually floating between the chaos. "Cocky bastard," she said, a small smirk forming on her lips. Once again lining up a shot, this time firing off a trio before the warning siren blared in her ears. She saw one of the red bolts glance off the enemy's shields before she had to give a hard dive to avoid one of the defending TIE fighters. Switching frequencies, she reached out to Garuda squadron. "Wedge, I'm not able to get a good bead on the jumpmaster, can you get after him?"

The comms gave a garbled slurry of static before the young Lieutenant's voice came through semi-clearly. "... got my hands full with my own problems, flight lead. That's a neg…" The comms cut out and Cora immediately turned toward the radar display. Wedge's signal was still there, but the rest of his squadron wasn't. A moment later, his X-wing flew across the radar screen and was out of range. Emergency jump, not the best ending, but it at least meant he was alive. She was once more pulled from her thoughts as the lock warning screamed at her again. As she flew in closer to the hull of the VSD, she only just dodged to the side in time to avoid taking a turbolaser bolt as a direct-hit. A stifled scream in her squad's frequency sent a chill down her spine; someone else hadn't been as lucky. Punching the frequency back over to the Trident, she tried to keep the panic out of her voice. "Flight leader to Trident, we need fire support! Friendlies are dropping left and right. I have no eyes on the defector and have lost contact with Garuda. I repeat, Trident please assi…" Another explosion just to her right caught her eye and stopped her mid-sentence. She only caught a brief glimpse of the Ramora's mangled bow before the neb-B made a desperate jump into hyperspace. There wasn't any time to re-collect her thoughts and try once again to get through to the flagship, as the lock warning returned once more and her R3 screamed just behind her. Muscle memory took over and she all but wrenched the control yoke to one side. A second later, her main viewport filled with blue light, blinding her.

"R3, get us out of here," she breathed shocked at how calm her voice sounded, blinking hard to get the spots from her vision. Protesting beeps and whistles answered her but she banged a fist hard on the canopy above her, ignoring the pain that shot through her fist as she did. "Frag-it R3, I don't care about the coordinates! We jump or we DIE!"

* * *

"Sir, Cobalt Leader has left the combat zone," the flight controller reported. Tash let go of a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. That was it. With Commander Sunrider gone, along with leaders of both Gold and Garuda, they'd ensured that the now almost decimated squadrons could at least be rebuilt; the immediate problem with that, however, was that they were now completely exposed regarding the enemy squadrons, including those TIE bombers.

"Can I get an update on the defector's status?" he asked, trying to look over her shoulder at the display.

The officer tapped away at the controls, trying to see where the red-white gauntlet fighter was. "... they've slipped free of the main imperial squadrons, just barely still in engagement range of the jumpmaster."

Tash thought a moment before giving a nod. "Establish contact. Tell them to run." He knew that contacting the defector now would reveal them to the imperials since they would need to broadcast over the open channel, but there wasn't really any choice at this point. Either they tried to break away and escape, or they'd have to remain with the Empire and risk ISB rooting them out. If the battle were turning out more positively for the rebels, maybe the Trident could coordinate a more in-depth escape plan; sadly, the "ifs" were not on their side right now. "Helm, plot us a course past the VSDs, we need to get out of here. Comms, contact the Morning Star and tell them the same."

Turning back to the front viewport, Tash watched as the destroyer ahead grew ever closer. The positive to that was the Trident's helm had been able to maneuver her out of the victory II's main arc. Given the right maneuvering, they could easily swing past the destroyer and escape to hyperspace in just a few minutes. "Calculate the jump to the rallypoint and hold until we're clear," Tash instructed, his knuckles going white against the railing overlooking the rest of the command deck. Even though his voice remained calm, he knew all too well what a dire position they were in. He couldn't show panic, not if he wanted to keep the crew from panicking as well. He just had to shoot for the hyperlane, keep the strongest shields pointed at the incoming fire, and not think about the VSD I still bearing down on them from the starboard side.

A group of explosions rang out from the port-side, the lack of tremors at least reassuring him it wasn't the Trident taking the hits. "Sir," the sensor officer called. "The Morning Star has just unloaded their ordnance pods on the bow of the vic-II!"

As much as Tash wanted to take pleasure in the small victory, he knew he couldn't afford it, the rest of the crew couldn't afford it. "Helm, stay on-course. The Morning Star's attack gives us an opening, swing around their superstructure and gun it!" As the larger ship's command bridge loomed just to the right, he gritted his teeth as another explosion rang out. Something in his gut said this wasn't the same grade of news as the first one. "Steady… steady…"

The seconds trickled by like bantha over a narrow bridge. Tash felt the ship rock and tremor as another volley crashed into the reinforced starboard arc, the engineering team reporting the shielding status. Finally, the helm officer spoke up. "We're clear, Commander! We've escaped the VSD II's path and are en-route to the escape vector. Just a couple more kilometers and we can make the jump."

Tash nodded before turning back to the comm officer. "Hail the Morning Star, tell them to follow us out."

"Sir..." the sensor officer spoke up, his voice slightly muted and his tone hesitant. "The Morning Star had to make an emergency jump. They couldn't get around the vic II's front arc in time."

Taking a breath, Tash slammed a fist down on the railing before turning back toward the main viewport. Before them lay a small resupply station and just beyond that, open space. The VSD I was trying to angle back in toward them, but with the outdated ship's shorter effective range, there wasn't much worry from that. However, even before the warning sirens began to blare, Tash was turning toward the gunnery officer. "Full focus on point-defence! We'll at least take one or two of those TIEs down before we jump!" he returned his attention to engineering. "Time to see how the mandalorian shield techs can handle incoming fire from starfighters."

A few more tense seconds ticked by before the sensor officer gave the first report. "Bomber wing 1 firing full salvo on starboard!" Immediately engineering was on the comms while gunnery started picking targets. Two TIEs down, four direct hits on the shields, starboard shields holding. "Bomber wing 2, same target, same payload!" The ship rocked from these impacts, the engineering reporting the inevitable shield failure. Four TIEs were wiped from the scanners.

"Helm, hold steady," Tash said, his eyes deadlocked on their destination. "Incoming from the front!" The standard TIE squadron was angling in for a strafing run. "Gunners, where's our coverfire?" Just above the bridge, the laser cannons took aim and spread a heavy layer of scarlet flak. The eyeball-shaped fighters jinked and swayed as they continued their approach. A couple of the fighters went down as they failed to dodge the cannonfire. Then, the loud reports of the linked turbolasers rang out from below, the more massive bolts cutting through the TIEs flight-path and quickly vaporizing all but one. The survivor took some flak fire as they tried desperately to disengage. "Hold fire," Tash said, as the imperial fighter swayed drunkenly back toward the enemy destroyers. Glancing at the sensors, he watched as the two mercenary fighters angled in for approach. "Engineering, we need those shields back up. What's the status?"

The engineering officer spoke into the comms before glancing back at him. "The teams are working on it. Apparently the mandalorians are using some unorthodox methods, letting the generators charge rather than immediately feeding the energy into the shields. Should I have them focus on just regenerating the shields?"

Tash wanted to take a moment to think… but there wasn't time. He needed to make a judgement call. "No. If the Mandalorians have a plan, I'll trust their judgement." Before he could give out any further orders, the entire ship trembled once again. "Report!"

"VSD I got a couple of shots into the starboard hull," engineering replied. "The armor took the brunt, but life support in the dorsal strut is draining!"

"We'll worry about that later," Tash said, dismissing the report with a hand. So long as the ship itself was still in one piece, that was the key. "Close blast doors and distribute emergency rebreathers to essential personnel." The incoming fire warning sprang forth anew, the sensor officer reporting the aggressor and jumpmaster making their assaults. "Everyone brace for impact!" The scream of engines tore faintly just behind the rear bulkhead of the bridge, but no new warning sirens added their cries to the cacophony. "... did they miss?"

"No sir… the shields came back on just in time to absorb the blasts," the engineering officer reported, his voice not hiding its surprise nor its relief. "I don't know how they did it, but they boosted them in almost perfect timing with the incoming shots."

Tash let out a breath and smirked to himself. It wasn't surprising to him. Ursa Wren had supplied those shield techs; if she was serious enough about their pact to threaten his life, of course she would have sent some of her clan's best. "Commander, we've cleared the debris field," the helm reported. "Nav computer is set. On your orders."

Turning toward the flight controller, Tash gave a hopeful, questioning look. Turning back to him, she removed her headset and gave a grave shake of her head. Swallowing hard, he closed his eyes before nodding back to the helm. "Let's go get our pilots."

* * *

The first thing that Cora remembered after exiting hyperspace after the battle was how cold she suddenly felt. Yes, R3 had transferred power from the non-essential systems and shut down others to prevent them from being completely dead in deep space, but that wasn't the only reason. Right then, she couldn't say exactly how many of her people had made it out of that battle alive. Wedge yes, maybe Gold Leader… but she couldn't say anything for any of the others. When they'd made the emergency jump, the astromech had obeyed her to a fault: right now, they weren't at the rally-point and as she gazed out the slowly fogging canopy, she saw nothing but lonely distant stars.

"R3… can we make another jump?" she said, trying her best to ignore how her breath started to fog inside the cockpit. A few beeps and whistles later and she felt the tension lightly fall from her shoulders. "Better half-power than none. Do it, I'll curl up and bear it." The droid gave a worried response, but did as it was told. The ship turned on its own as Cora brought her knees to her chest and rested back in her seat. After a few more moments, the hyperdrive hummed back to life. The flight suit was made to keep a pilot warm in just these situations; her X-wing's life support, even at less than full power, would keep her breathing. All she had to do was wait. It might have been seconds later, maybe minutes, but soon enough she fell asleep amid hyperspace's brilliant blue lights.

It wasn't until there came the lurch back to realspace that she regained consciousness. Jolting up in her seat, she winced as a crick in her neck protested the sudden motion. However, even as she protectively rubbed the offended spot, she sighed in relief as she saw the familiar sights of the Neb-Bs and Hammerhead Corvette; battered and beaten, but alive and functioning. Immediately there was a crackling on her comms. "R3, boost that signal," she said, crossing her arms to hug herself as she again realized how cold the cockpit still was.

"... -er Sunrider come in, this is the Trident!" the frantic voice of the flight controller rang through, starting out a bit garbled but quickly improving to full audibility.

"Sunrider here," Cora responded, only now noticing how tired she sounded. "Reporting for duty."

A relieved humorless chuckle clattered over the other end. "You're duty's plenty done for the day, flight-lead. Just sit tight, we're sending a U-wing out to give you a tow."

"Great, because I think my X-wing's about as exhausted as I am right now. Sunrider out."

It took all of about ten minutes, but soon Cora was back into the Trident's modest hanger bay. The wave of warmth that hit her was almost like eating a gourmet meal after subsisting on outdated ration packs; or perhaps it was some concussion she'd suffered during the prior dogfight that was making her suddenly nauseous. Either way, she did her best to swallow it all back down as the canopy hissed open and a technician offered her a hand. As she climbed out, she looked around the overall much emptier hanger and realized what the real cause of her upset stomach was.

There were two Y-wings, three red-striped X-wings, and one blue-striped one aside from her own; all of them were pocked with carbon scoring and some obvious essential system damage. Her legs felt weak and wobbly as she stood there taking in the facts of the sheer loss that they'd suffered… people who she'd been serving with from the start of this campaign. She tried to take a step and her footing faltered. She would have been face-down on the durasteel floor had it not been for her blue and silver astromech which rushed in front of her just in time. "Thanks R3…" she groaned, forcing herself back onto two feet. "I'll take it slow. You go get cleaned up, okay?" The droid turned its round head to stare at her for a long moment, its silence betraying its doubt. "I'll be fine, really. I just… need to rest, okay?"

R3 gave a sad "Ooh-woo…" but did as it was told, turning and heading toward the droid charging stations on the far side of the hanger. Cora offered it one more smile before turning and heading for the turbolift, her eyes steeled forward, forcing herself not to glance at any of the empty spaces where the rest of her squadron's fighters were usually parked.

As the lift began to head up toward the main dorsal strut, she swallowed hard again, closed her eyes tight as she felt them start to well up, and slugged the wall hard; wanting to feel any other pain than the one gnawing at her insides. "Why… why in the universe did it have to be me… of all people to live through that hell, why me?" After a long moment, she heard the door open behind her, prompting her to wipe her eyes, straighten, and try not to let the thoughts flood her senses again until she reached the flight-crew quarters. As she turned, however, she immediately felt her spine stiffen as she forced her feet together. "Commander Walden," she said, offering a hasty salute. "I apologize for not being present at the rally-point soone…"

"Commander Sunrider, please…" he said, his voice muted as he waved the salute away. "At-ease. The last thing I care about right now is protocol. I'm just glad you made it back."

Cora paused, but soon nodded and lowered her arm. "Understood sir. I… was there anything you needed from me?"

Tash seemed to study her for a long moment before offering a half-smile. "I've received word from Mandalore. Firaxan Group met Manx' forces head-on. After the fight we'd forced them through, the imperials had to turn and run. Rebel high command decided that Mandalore would also be receiving a dedicated base, making defending it in the future much easier for us," he said. There was a pause after he finished, as if looking for the words to continue. "It... doesn't make up for the people who we've lost today, not by a long shot; but I wanted to make sure you heard it. Their fight lives on in us now. We'll make it count." He gave a nod before stepping past her into the lift. She didn't say anything as she watched the doors close behind him. Once she heard the lift moving, Cora turned and headed for her quarters, her mind still trying to parse through the guilt while desperately trying to cling to the small comfort the Commander had been able to bring her.


End file.
